Vala of Changing Light
by Sakura Taichou
Summary: A chance encounter, an unshakable sense of valor, a mission of her own choosing.  A new world of possibility is open now, all one has to do is act on it.
1. Chapter 1

He had seen many things in his life, and profess that there was nothing in the great big world that could surprise him, let alone shock him or seem ludicrous. He'd lived a very, very long time after all and with time came experience, wisdom, patience. He was respected for his vast knowledge and unflappable calm.

But in all his days he had never come across such a creature before.

Green eyes that seemed to radiate a soft glow in the shade of the tree he was passing under stared down at him above a wave of reddish-blond hair from the high branches as he stared back with wide eyes.

'oh, my,'

She barely looked old enough to be considered mature, _he_ certainly wouldn't have considered her an adult; small and waif-ish, she was delicate in appearance with clear slanted features that reminded him of the fairer folk's looks taken an extra, more exotic, stretch, and though her bare arms revealed corded muscle he'd never seen on a woman before they were still feminine, just like the rest of her subtle but there curves. She wore a sleeveless deep blue tunic under a black leather waist corset, and black pants tucked into knee high dark gray boots, a sword tightly strapped across her back. Young, very young. And odd.

He'd never seen anyone stand on the underside of a branch before.

The young woman's eyes narrowed as his staring started to stretch a little long as his cart stopped when he'd pulled the reigns in surprise. Her hands were pulled into fists and propped on her hips and he had the distinct impression that it was supposed to be intimidating. She cleared her throat and he jumped a little at how close it sounded to a growl, and snapping out of his, admittedly rude, staring fit.

'Ah, my apologies, hm,' he coughed a little in embarrassment, 'I didn't mean to be so rude.'

One of her brows went up (down?) in obvious skepticism, but she shrugged it off as she looked down on him. A traveling pack dangled from a broken tree limb to her right that she reached over and pulled to her.

'It's nothing' she said, suddenly dropping from the branch, flipping around neatly to land on her feet next to the cart. The horse startled at her landing and he had to calm the beast before really looking at her.

'Whoa boy, whoa' he crooned, giving the reigns a light pull, 'that's better' he said, looking back to the young woman. He blinked.

She wasn't blond. At all.

'My word' he said, stunned.

Pale pink hair fell in her face and the rest disappearing over her shoulder, loosely braided to the end of her shoulder blades where it was tied off and leaving the rest of its length free to wave in the light breeze and shining in the light. In the sunshine he could see all of her in sharp detail, and she was definitely rosette haired and bright green eyed. Her skin had a faint tan, giving her a healthy flush and he wondered if she was truly human.

'I have never seen such a lovely shade in all my life' he said to her, making sure to drag his eyes to her face, tweaking his expression to show friendliness, 'is it a dye?'

'Natural' she said without inflection and wearing a look that said she had long gotten used to the question. She nodded to his cart, taking note of the fireworks, 'going somewhere special?'

He smiled.

'Visiting an old friend.' He tipped his head to the side as if thinking of something, then gestured with his head to the seat next to him, 'What about you? It's odd to see a young woman, or man for that matter, in these parts.'

'I am a healer and I was passing through to learn about the medicinal qualities of the plants in this area. I hear there is a village down this road and wanted to stop for a rest.' she answered, looking young and honest, her posture relaxed and confidant with her eyes warm and friendly.

'Then we are heading the same way then, fortuitous timing' he said gaily, 'perhaps you would like to ride with me, it's not too far now and I could use the company.

She hesitated, looking unsure.

'I don't know, I wouldn't want to impose.'

'Nonsense my dear' he reassured her, 'it would be a pleasure.'

She dithered a moment longer before consenting to offer, going around his cart and climbed up on the seat next to him. He asked for her name.

'...Sakura' she said, 'And you?'

'I am Gandalf the Gray.'

She looked at his hat curiously.

'I heard stories about you.'

'Have you now? I'm sure they were most likely very colorful stories.'

'They were interesting.' she supplied, strap of her travel bag slung over one of her shoulders, a glimmer coming to her eyes, 'you're supposed to be powerful and wise.'

'Flattering accounts' he chortled, and he was pleased when his horse pulled impatiently at the reigns to give him a reason to press, 'and I would like to hear what is being said, I can tell you what is real and what is colorful embellishment along the way.'

He felt more than saw a change in the air. Her face was still relaxed, but her eyes had cooled slightly as she studied him, making him realize she wasn't as naive as he thought_, _there was something more _alert _about her_._ He waited out her scrutiny as the leaves rustled overhead. The heat of the sun beating down around them.

She smiled, hesitant, suddenly a young girl in more than appearance as she nodded her head.

'Thank you.'

That is the first chapter of Vala of Changing Light. I'm working on a few stories, one of which is a crossover with Supernatural -which I'm enjoying, there really is not enough fandom for it- and I'm thinking about posting that too. Anyway, review, alert, whatever just enjoy. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Two days journey had passed in brief spurts of conversation and her sleeping in the back of the cart during the early day and spending evenings and nights awake, and when they had passed some border she was unaware of he began to tell her about Hobbits. She leaned against the side of the wagon on Gandalf's left, listening to him describe in open amusement the mannerisms of his friends people from their short statures to their blatant predilection for all things consumable. She smiled once in a while as the ride went on and the landscape gave way to rolling green hills and spring time flowers. The Shire, as he had called it, was a beautiful place.

She listened to the trees sway with the push and pull of the wind, leaves shaking above them as they rode down a dirt path tucked between shoulder high ridges covered in new grass. Gandalf was humming to himself when a voice called from slightly ahead.

'You're late.' She turned around to see who was speaking.

'A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins,' Gandalf said seriously, 'Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.'

A staring match proceeded. It ended soon after with laughter.

'It's wonderful to see you Gandalf!' the hobbit said, leaping from his perch into the cart and into a hug with the wizard. Sakura could not help but find the whole thing sort of wholesome. This must be the nephew he had mentioned to her when explaining about his friend, closest family member to Bilbo Baggins and kind and caring young man. She listened with half an ear as they spoke before she heard her name, drawing her attention to the old man and curious hobbit. The look on Frodo's face was a familiar expression; she'd seen it more than she cared to remember after she'd landed in this world and could probably pick it out from a hundred yards away; surprised and disbelieving.

'Very nice to meet you' she said, offering a small wave, 'You must be Frodo. Gandalf told me about you. It's your uncle's birthday?' Gandalf picked up the thread.

'I heard it's going to be of particular magnificence'

'You know Bilbo,' Frodo replied, settling down next to the wizened old man as they rode between the softly rolling hills, 'He's got the whole place in an uproar.'

Gandalf chuckled.

'That should please him.'

Frodo's visit was brief as he hopped out onto another small hill, fondness in his tone just as it was in Gandalf's as he and Sakura rode the rest of the way to Bag End.

The welcome they received caused Sakura a great deal of amusement as '_Go away! We don't want any well wishers or distant relations!_' came through the wood and Gandalf did a brief double take at the round door.

'And what about very old friends?' was the man's wry reply and the door opened to reveal a gray haired hobbit in a red vest, white shirt, and dark pants that cut off at mid-calf just like Frodo's did. He looked very happy to see the old man.

'Gandalf!' they hugged and Gandalf took a good look at him, surprise lowering his voice in wonder.

'One hundred and eleven years old! You haven't aged a day.'

Bilbo's gaze flickered to her and back again as he took her appearance in.

'My goodness, Gandalf; you brought a fairy?' the question came out before he could stop himself but Sakura took it in stride.

'Not so much' she replied, smiling politely. Gandalf made the introductions.

'This is Sakura, she's been traveling with me for a few days.' He turned to her and gestured to the hobbit,' Sakura, this is Bilbo Baggins.'

'Pleased to meet you'

'And you. Come in, come in!' he led them in, taking the wizards' staff and cloak, going on about tea and eggs to which she and Gandalf demurred. Knowing she was something of a third wheel she stepped out, telling Gandalf she would be around, and went looking for a place to relax until nightfall. She found a grove of trees at the back of Bag End and settled in to observe the daily goings on of the Halflings that she'd never run into previously.

The night was filled with laughter and light, hobbits of all shapes and ages were gathered together having a grand time celebrating the oldest living hobbit. Sakura herself was sitting at a table with Gandalf as he kept an eye on Pippin and Merry who he'd earlier caught after an.._explosive_, prank and now had them doing dishes. In her hand was a hobbit sized mug, on her fourth refill of mead made by some guy named Gaffer, a pleasant buzz building in her head when Bilbo stepped to the front of the crowd amidst a lot of cheering.

'Today is my one hundred and eleventieth birthday!' he called out to the crowd. He looked so happy, and when she shot a glance at his nephew, so did he.

She wasn't really sure what it was that made the hair on the back of her neck suddenly stand on end, but one moment she was staring into her mug wondering if she should have another and the next looking up as tension rolled across the crowd as she focused on the aged man at the front as he tucked his hands behind his back,

and disappeared.

Her brows went up in surprise as murmurs and cries of alarm broke the stillness and Gandalf let out a burst of air. She hummed, impressed with the old hobbit's flair, not noticing the way the wizard's eyes went to her in suspicion when she commented,

'That's a neat trick.' without the shock everyone else -including he- had expressed, sipping the last of her drink.

Her calm was odd, it made him rethink her original story about being a healer, but that wasn't what was important right then so he set it aside, moving to intercept his old friend. His abrupt rising caught her attention, and perplexed, she rose to follow him. They ended up rushing all the way back to Bag End where upon entering Gandalf turned to face the doorway with a firm stare, obviously waiting. She stood beside him, confused.

'What is it?' she asked him, 'Is he not supposed to do that?'

The questions surrounding the girl were steadily mounting but he answered.

'The magic required to do what he did can only be found in a magic ring, which I was not aware he had.'

She had to make an intuitive leap.

'So, he's not supposed to have it?'

'Magic rings are not normally found in a hobbit's shire.' he hedged, and she could understand what he wasn't saying; objects that grant power were usually held by those who had power, with the means to hold on to it, not a little place like this where power is practically useless.

There was no more time to talk. The door opened with nary a creak and with a blink, Bilbo stood in the entryway, chipper and flipping the ring in the air like a coin and catching it on descent. He tucked it into a pocket, which was when Gandalf decided to make their presence known.

'I suppose you thought that was terribly clever.' Bilbo jumped a foot in the air, 'There are many magic rings in this world and none of them should be used lightly!'

The pout on the aged fellow's face was not convincing and he caved to the wizard's superior wisdom with a huff.

'It was just a bit of fun!' the wizard would not be swayed; the hobbit deflated, 'oh, you're probably right, _as usual_' he tacked on sourly, moving off to grab obvious travel gear. He spoke to Gandalf while moving about, 'you will keep an eye on Frodo?'

'Two eyes' Gandalf said, hands on his hips, 'as often as I can spare them.'


	3. Chapter 3

Sakura watched the interaction between the two.

In the time she had been on Middle Earth, she had not once heard of hobbits. To say they were surprising was pretty accurate. They were about three feet tall, all of them, and were soft looking but hardy with laugh lines and no worries beyond their home. The brief amount of time she'd been in the Shire was nearly entirely different than what she had come to know in the human settlements here.

Where the hobbits were peaceful, the humans were tense. Jumpy. Suspicious. She'd been met with hostility in the more paranoid villages. There was unrest in the world of man, but she had seen no sign of what it was that the human's were afraid of.

The hobbit in front of her was in general everything the hobbits had turned out to be but, the longer this encounter between the wizard and halfling went the more cracks the hobbit's person revealed; and she didn't like the darkness that was seeping through.

His voice was lowering, he was talking more to himself now, there was a rasp in his tone but it wasn't warm or kind. There was something about it as he caressed the ring that chilled her. She looked to Gandalf who she could see was experiencing the same unease she was.

'I think you should leave the ring behind.' The hobbit snapped at him.

'You want it for yourself!' Bilbo accused the tall man and it was so obviously the wrong thing to say.

'BILBO BAGGINGS!'

Gandalf just seemed to _grow_, filling up the limited space around him with presence and power, the light dimming as his anger shown through.

'Do not take me for some conjuror of cheap tricks!' The floor rattled with the depth of his voice, 'I am not trying to rob you!'

As the hobbit cowered, Gandalf seemed to gather the wave of ominous shadow and reign himself in until he was just a man again. He gave the aged hobbit kind eyes.

'I'm trying to help you.'

The hobbits' resolve crumbled and he was drawn into a hug from his oldest friend, seeking comfort and forgiveness which Gandalf readily gave. Sakura waited in silence, only slightly embarrassed to be watching something that was private and none of her business.

She was curious about the ring, and the affect it had on Bilbo. There was reason to be worried, she realized, and while he hid it well, she could tell that Gandalf knew it too. Whatever that ring was, it was bad news.

Bilbo left, getting Gandalf's word that he would keep an eye out for his nephew, singing to himself as he disappeared into the night. Gandalf and Sakura watched until he could no longer be seen before shutting the door and turning back to the fire.

Gandalf settled himself close to the hearth, smoking his pipe and losing himself in thought. Sakura slipped back until she was wrapped in shadows, the only thing to stand out were the green of her eyes as they reflected back the light. She was watching her traveling companion for any change, feeling concern creep up on her as the man displayed an intense yet vacant stare down with the fire, muttering words just low enough to prevent her understanding them.

The night wore on a bit, Sakura in silence from her shadowed corner, Gandalf in muted conversation with the flames, until the door opened with a clatter and a shout of 'Bilbo!', effectively catching Sakura's attention.

She had almost lashed out, the tension that had been building since Bilbo's stunt building inside her making her more than a little jumpy. She clenched her fists and leaned further back until she was pressed to the wall.

The boy looked down, saw the ring, and picked it up, unknowing of what it was and strolled up to the wizard, talking of Bilbo. The man snapped out of his fugue, eyes flicking from the ring to the boys' face and gave a weak chuckle, 'Bilbo's ring'

After that things started to happen quickly. The wizard rushed to the door giving the hobbit a warning to hide the ring and tell no one, and telling the young woman to 'keep safe', with a peculiar look in his gaze. Having become fond of the shire and wanting to know what he would know when he got back she chose to remain there, and was allowed by a worried Frodo to use Bilbo's now old room.


	4. Chapter 4

Time stretched on, turning from days into months until she had spent roughly half a year in the sleepy little shire, patrolling the borders of the area while she waited for the wizard to return. She herself had no reason to stay, but had no where else to be either. But something in the very air had changed when Bilbo showed the wizard that ring and to her finely honed senses she knew deep down to her very bones that _something_ was going to change.

She put on some weight from the food the female hobbits kept pushing on her, talking all the while about how very thin she was, but not much; she became a touch curvy. While she admired the way the weight had softened the harsh lines of her face and body to make her look soft and feminine, she couldn't help but miss the way she looked before when she had the body of an elite fighter, when she was nothing but lean corded muscle and not a drop of fat anywhere. Ah, the good old days, she mused.

It was late in the night, Sakura and Frodo had spent a good deal of time with his friends at the pub. They arrived back home to find an open front door and Sakura was immediately put on guard, commanding Frodo to remain behind her while they entered. It was fast, Gandalf had been tugged from the shadows, sputtering, by a intense looking Sakura.

The wizard was taken by surprise when a deceptively small hand grabbed the front of his robes and swung him around like a doll into the opposite wall, facing the two people who had arrived, his wide eyes meeting the icy green of Sakura's. Her face was drawn taut with a discipline he'd never seen in a young woman. He looked into her face, to see the young girl he'd met before but the personality he'd come to know, to recognize, the surface of her that she allowed other people to see, was no longer there. All he saw was surety, alertness, and grim determination.

Cool jade looked him up and down, assessing him, before narrowing and warming up just a touch as she relaxed her grip and let him go.

When she released the old man he looked immediately to Frodo, frantically asking if the ring were still secret, still hidden.

Frodo found the envelope the ring had been stored in, handed it to Gandalf who immediately threw it into the hearth.

'What are you doing?' Frodo asked confused.

Gandalf said nothing, just watched until the envelope burned away before reaching in with a set of tongs to pull the ring out. He held the ring aloft before the halfling.

'Put out your hand Frodo,' at the look of hesitance on Frodo's face, he assured him, 'it's quite cool.'

Sakura had her misgivings about that but Frodo went with it. He turned the ring around with his fingers.

'Do you see anything?' Gandalf pressed. A beat.

'No' Frodo said. Gandalf breathed a sigh of relief.

'Wait,' dread filled the wizard's face, 'there are markings. Some form of elvish, I can't read it.'

Gandalf stared gravely into the fire.

'There are few who can. It is in the tongue of Mordor, and I will not utter it here.' He faced Sakura and Frodo, 'in the common tongue: one ring to find them, one ring to rule them all, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.'

When he spoke of the rings' intent to find its way back to its master and the evil that was coming for it, he looked for the first time at the young girl who so far hadn't made a sound or complaint about the swiftly changing situation. He sighed, told her that he was sorry for having gotten her involved. She told him not to worry about it. When he told Frodo he would have to leave the Shire, she said she would go with to provide protection. Having been on the business end of her scary quick reflexes he recognized that her presence could very well prove beneficial.

They picked up an extra member to their posse before leaving for good, Sam following doggedly behind them, lugging most of their supplies on his back.


	5. Chapter 5

'Stay off the roads, I will meet you in the city of Bree at the Prancing Pony'

Gandalf left and they set out on their journey; slower than Sakura liked but knew not to be too pissed about because the hobbits were not used to the same kind of _speed_ she was. Frodo was steadfast and determined she had to give him that; during the trek across fields he had not uttered a single complaint. While he may have been slower than she liked he was from a sturdy people, he could keep going when softer people would be tired. Samwise -call me Sam- had a bit of a harder go of it but he wasn't one who quit and he earned major points for his determination in her book, huffing and stumbling doggedly behind them.

'I'm going to scout ahead,' she told them while afternoon passed in a field of corn that they were cutting through, running ahead of them to get lost in the rows, her long pink hair the last they saw of her.

'Have you ever even _heard_ tale of people with hair like that?' Sam asked Frodo, shaking his head as he ruminated on the girls' unique coloring. 'Mr. Frodo?' he tried, turning to look at his friend. He blinked; Frodo was no where to be seen. 'Mr. Frodo!'

He scrambled about in a panic to find the hobbit when said hobbit stepped out of the next row of corn, looking at him in confusion.

'What Sam?' Sam sighed in relief.

'I thought I'd lost you.'

'What?' Frodo said, his tone amused even though it was also confused.

'Nothin', just something Gandalf said.' his serious answer sobering Frodo, '**don't you lose him Samwise Gamgee**, and I don't mean to.'

Frodo smiled at his friend, and tried to reasure him.

'Sam we're still in the Shire, what could possibly happen?'

Sam's expression of care over Frodo's well-being was short lived as two figures ran into Frodo, sending them into a wall of corn. He stared for a moment, completely befuddled, before his brain caught up with his eyes and he squawked in panic, jumping to action.

'Mr. Frodo!'

Merry and Pippin. Stealing from farmer Maggots' crop. Followed by the sound of an irate hobbit looking to hurt someone.

Needless to say, everyone bolted.

Sakura had been making her way back to the group, unaware that they were now a party of five, when her senses picked up a shift in the air. She pivoted sharply to the right, scraping the bark from the limb she had been on, bounding full tilt deeper into the trees as she stretched her senses to pick up the unnatural signature she'd noticed heading in the direction of her charges. A chill rolled down her spine at the malevolent nature of the thing she was tailing. The shrill cry of a horse told her she was closing in on a rider and at the front of her senses she could just pick out four little figures, to her confusion. Regardless, she shook her head, she had to ignore that for now and deal with the evil that was swiftly bearing down on her friends.

Darkness seemed to fall quickly on the woods, sun disappearing behind hill and cloud, and she began to move more boldly through the foliage, the clatter of hooves stirring her to move even faster.

The figure riding and the horse it rode were hard to see in the setting night, only the moonlight that passed through the branches above illuminated the danger once in a while in a furl of black cloth and impossible-to-make-out features.

The hobbits were running fast, child-like bodies moving down a dirt path toward the sound of water. She leaped over the rider, hand going to the sword across her back. She felt the thud of her boots hitting a branch. Thinking better of the sword, she let go and turned around, launching off the branch straight into the oncoming enemy.

The _thing_ shrieked, armored hands pulling at the reigns in shock, causing the horse to rear up and buck. The sound her foe was making grated at her ears, setting her teeth on edge. With a roar she found purchase on the saddle with her feet, her hands set where the abdomen hit the ribs and wrapped her hands around the material there, heaving the creature up. It flew back in a flurry of flailing limbs and cloak, hitting the ground with a thump, shrieking the whole time.

She jumped clear of the horse, heading in the direction of the hobbits. She saw the raft already drifting away from the dock, Frodo running as fast as he could to reach it but it looked like he would fall short. With a burst of speed she grabbed the hobbit around the waist and jumped with everything she had.

'Sakura!' Sam yelped, surprised and glad that they had escaped the shadowed rider, 'Mr. Frodo, are you alright?'

'I'm alright Sam.' he assured, looking over at Sakura who was pushing her hair out of her face, 'are you alright Sakura?'

'I'm fine' she replied, taking in the appearances of Merry and Pippin. She commented wryly, 'I take it you found some company while I was gone.'

)0(

Here's another chapter for you lovely folks. I'm busy, busy, busy with different things but I had to swing by with this. Enjoy! ^_^


	6. Chapter 6

The Prancing Pony was a dive, she glowered, it would be a bitch to protect the four halflings in a place like this. She shook her cloak irritably, listening to the water spatter across the floor as it fell.

It had started raining while they floated downstream, soaking through their clothes while they squawked and tumbled around in their scramble to reach their cloaks. By the time they reached Bree all of them were miserable and water logged; even Sakura whose cloak was more fitted to the weather was pushing damp hair out of her face, eyes glittering in the darkness of her hood as the old man opened the door to admit them to the town.

She'd taken the measure of the town when they passed through it. The mud sucked at her boots like molasses, making a wet sucking noise every time she raised her legs, reminding her of the Land of Waves. Being a water locked country the ground had been perpetually soft and where there were no trees the ground had nearly been no better than walking in a swamp. She remembered with a grimace the way the mud got between her toes and made her feet feel loose in her boots, screwing up her stride. There were just some things about her old ninja uniform that she simply did _not_ miss.

She had a pint in front of her for the purpose of blending in, her hood pulled up to obscure her features, an her eyes moving from point to point while the four boys spoke amongst themselves.

'What's that?' she looked over to see Pippin looking in shock at Merry's mug, which dwarfed his own. Merry's eyes were gazing at it with a love not seen outside of a Hobbit dining room at supper time.

'This my friend, is a _pint_.'

Pippin was awed.

'It comes in pints?' Merry made a noise of ascent while Sakura raised a brow, holding her own pint to her lips. Pippin looked at the group, voice serious, 'I'm getting one.'

'You've had a whole half already!' Sam objected but Pippin was already gone, intent on his mission.

'Let him go,' she said softly to the hobbit, sipping some of her ale, eyes down, 'it's not like he's going to get any less troublesome than he was sober.'

Sam looked scandalized.

'He'll lose all his senses and we're not useless!'

'Never said you were' she replied, not even looking at him, 'but he is an accident waiting to happen, booze or not. I accept that, and acceptance is the first step to recovery.' But from the way the halfling's brow scrunched up she knew he didn't get it.

Sakura smiled behind her mug, amused even while she kept her eyes on the crowd aware of every person who got too close or looked at them too long. The level of noise was the droning of bees in the background as she flicked a glance at the bar where Pippin was getting his drink. He stopped to talk to someone next to him but the large fellow was already too deep in his cups to be a problem and by the way the humor filled his face with whatever story the hobbit was telling she could safely assume that he was the least likely to be a problem. It was a fellow in a dark corner to her right that had her itching to block his eyes from seeing the hobbits with her.

He was leaning back against the wall, slumping in a relaxed pose with a pipe held to his lips. The smoke curled up into his hood and when the burning dry leaves flared his eyes briefly became visible. The light sparked in his eyes, intent and secretive. She watched him carefully through her bangs around the edge of her hood. He had a quality that spoke to her, a familiarity; it wasn't anything overt, he was going to lengths to appear nonchalant, but it was there in the line of his shoulders, the tilt of his head, the whisper-thin tension in his body. Here was a man who could be dangerous, nee deadly, just like her.

'That fellow has done nothing but stare at you from the moment we got here.' Sam's words drew her attention to him and Frodo. She followed their line of sight and was surprised to find that they too were looking at the stranger in the corner. She was impressed that Sam was taking his job of looking out for Frodo seriously. Frodo's blue eyes were blatant in their appraisal of the hooded figure, Sakura itched to smack them both upside the head for staring.

'Don't look at him,' she snapped, and they jerked in their seats, returning their gaze to the table. She sighed. The barkeep was passing their table and she caught his arm getting his attention.

'Who is the man in the corner?' she asked, nodding her head in his direction. The barkeep tensed a little in her grip, turning his head slightly in the figures direction.

'He's one of them Rangers. What his right name is I don't know, but around here folks call him Strider.'

She let go and he moved on but she kept her eye on Strider in contemplative silence.

'…'

Sakura shivered. A cold chill had swept up her spine. She strained her ears to pick up sound and was disquieted to find that everything had become muffled. An uneasy feeling settled in her gut as sound took its time creeping alone at its low volume, until,

'Baggins? Sure I know a Baggins!'

The sound of Frodo's name drew her eyes to Pippen, alarmed. All the noise came back and she focused her hearing and paled, hearing him speak his friend's name loudly and repeatedly, drawing attention from the crowd around him and putting them in more and more danger. Frodo stood sharply and moved towards his friend.

'Wait!' she called but he ignored her or didn't hear her as he reached the bar and pulled Pippin by the shoulder around. A jerk in the corner of her eye told her the man had finally moved but her attention was more on the hobbits when Frodo staggered and fell, something bright and shiny -The Ring- flipping through the air above him. Time seemed to slow as the ring twirled up, crested its arc, then came back down, meeting Frodo's risen hand in the air, slipping on to his finger.

He vanished and she felt her heart stop in her chest, pushing her chair away from the table with a screech, hands slapping against the wood as she stared hard at the spot he had disappeared from.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. A beat, air stilling, senses on alert, _something_ had happened just beyond sight that felt hard and unforgiving. She could feel her mouth go dry while a shiver went up her spine. She felt something angry in the air, that burned and felt like it would blacken her very soul as it swept through the room unnoticed by anyone else save the mysterious man in the corner. She hadn't felt anything like it here before but that did not mean she didn't know what it was. She knew very well what had passed by. Evil was impossible to miss.

Frodo popped back into visibility, exactly where he had fallen, ring clutched in one hand. She didn't relax, moving around their table to get to him but someone else was closer.

She was irritated when the man in the corner moved in faster than she expected and pulled Frodo up and away to the stairs, his destination obvious, but she didn't waste any time vanishing at high speed to get ahead of them, her other companions left behind to keep them out of harm's way.

She tucked herself into a shadowed alcove in the corner of the ceiling, eyes on the duo to see which room he would take his hostage in. She didn't have long to wait before the two figures drew quickly up the stairs and into their room. She slipped in behind them before the stranger shut the door and she pulled the shadows of the ceiling around her as she watched and waited for the moment to strike. She watched as the man closed the door before going around the room and snuffing out all of the candles. She smiled a little darkly at this and nearly cooed. He was making it too easy for her.

His voice was low and harsh but not at all threatening even when he rebuked the hobbit. _How curious_, she thought to herself.

'A little more caution from you and the small trinket you carry'

Sakura froze. He knew.

'I carry nothing.' Frodo denied and the man gave a soft huff.

'Indeed' he said, nothing less than ironic. 'I can remain unseen if I wish, but to disappear entirely, that is a rare gift.' he continued, pulling his hood off, revealing his face.

He was handsome, brooding good looks, shoulder length curly hair and clear blue eyes, he reminded her a bit of Kakashi. They had a similar sadness to them. _However, _she thought, eyes narrowing down to slits as she tensed for the attack, _that will not stop me from doing serious harm to him._

The door burst open in a tumble of limbs, curly hair, and furniture.

'Let him go! Or I'll have you Long Shanks!'

She grinned, a quick flash of teeth.

The hobbits busting in served as a perfect distraction and while the man complimented on their bravery and chided them for that not being enough, she dropped from the ceiling, driving the man to the ground. The ranger -_Strider_, she remembered- shouted in shock, hands absorbing some of the fall but not stopping it entirely as his face smacked into the floor, stunning him. His hair spread around his head in a black halo, she had a split second to appreciate he didn't smell as rank as the other humans in this world that did not have indoor plumbing -_ahh if wishes were horses_- before she dismissed it, a knee pressing into his back over his kidneys, and one foot between his legs to keep him from getting any leeway. Her hand found purchase in the material covering his shoulder, two of her fingers pressed into a cluster of nerves just hard enough to hurt, the other holding a knife close to his neck sharp point aimed at a major artery.

'Sakura!' Frodo shouted in alarm, shocked at her sudden appearance. The other three halflings were watching with wide eyes too, various tools lowering as the danger they thought they'd be facing was neutralized.

Not one to forget her priorities she ignored the boys concern and pressed the business end of her knife to the man's throat. He stilled before he could try dislodging her, hands flat to the floor. She wondered if he may have broken his nose in the fall; it would have been amusing if nothing else.

'What do you want with my friend?'


	7. Chapter 7

Vala of Changing Light

Chapter Seven

Hello dear readers. I am in school again so I've been noticeably absent from the site. Here is Chapter Seven for your appreciation and your patience.

'Sakura!'

The voice cut through the focus on the man beneath her who was tense and smelled like the edge of a knife forged in the deep woods. The material separating them was soft with use but thick to protect against the weather, and the skin of his neck visible through his hair was lightly kissed by the sun. She knew just from the size of him that he was made of muscle and power and it would be very bad to just _let him go_.

But,

'Sakura, please let him go!'

Her verdant eyes flicked up, pinning the hobbit Frodo with a piercing glare. He froze under that look, never having seen her when she was like this, up close and holding a threat in her hands. Her hood had settled around her shoulders, and her hair was spilling around her face in jagged lengths to frame the cold, flat, green. The pupils in her eyes had spiraled down to mere pinpricks floating in the ice, giving the appearance of blindness but also the surreal sense of _looking right through him_, and she wondered if he was beginning to question the story she told him about being a healer.

She watched him marshal himself however and put it away for later. Now he needed his courage to ask for the stranger's life.

'Please.'

She felt her instincts slither away in the face of his naivety back into the recesses of her thoughts and the muscles in her back slowly relaxed.

'Fine' she said, pulling her knife back and rising off the man's limbs. She hid the blade in a sleeve and tugged her hood back up, compromising with herself that if he had to go free then he didn't also need to know what she looked like. Too many questions and not enough time.

The man got up and turned on his heel just like she thought he would to get a look at his captor but with the hood up again and all her hair tucked away all he would be able to see was a person of questionable gender in a cloak the color of shadow and a hood that cast darkness over her face. He was stymied by her size, barely a foot and a half taller than the hobbits, but regarded her with new found caution and gave her a generous berth. He looked to the hobbit who seemed to be in charge of this party addressing him.

'I know what it is that hunts you. We need to move.'

Out of the corner of the man's eye, he saw the hood of the stranger's cloak twitch in his direction. Frodo looked to the figure, obviously having used up his bravery with his plea and was now looking elsewhere for guidance.

He wondered who could be under that hood. Gandalf had not mentioned anyone other than Frodo and Sam on this mission, so Strider was less than pleased to find not two but four hobbits walk into the pub and with them someone who could only be human herding them along.

All he could see was the cloak that looked as if it were woven from the night itself in a cut he had never seen before and a pair of dark brown boots that he could only describe as child-like planted firmly on the wooden floor.

'Sakura?' Frodo asked, with that name that was also different than any he knew. 'What do we do?'

Strider's skin prickled with goose flesh and he knew the stranger was looking at him. Whoever it was was silent in their inspection of him. A long moment seemed to pass before his skin relaxed and a voice issued forth from the hood, feminine and young.

'If he found us, then so can they. Get your things. We're moving.'

In the darkness of her hood the others couldn't tell that she was tickled, but the fact that all four hobbits could fit on Strider's bed with ease made her smile. They all managed to fall asleep fairly quickly, the only exception being Frodo who sat up and worried the edge of their blanket between his fingers before Sakura covered them with her hand, telling him in soft words that all would be well and she would watch over them while they slept. Under her gentle words he reluctantly lay down and fell asleep, leaving her and the ranger known as Strider alone to wait out the night.

Strider watched her from the seat by the winder, pipe in hand. _Her_, he thought in a bemused echo. He certainly hadn't seen that coming.

He took a moment to examine what he could see. She leaned against the wall beside the window, arms crossed and facing the outside and he wondered what it was she was watching. While she looked relaxed he had a suspicion that she was anything but. Having heard her voice he knew the stranger to be a female, sounding both light and soft, and her short stature supported that but any physical features were disguised by that odd cloak that covered her from the top of her head to the middle of her shins and the tips of her fingers which he had felt pressing in the skin of his neck when she had had him pinned. The entire time they had been moving the halflings from one place to another the hood had never even rippled, staying stubbornly in place and her refusal to draw it back vexed him.

'I can see no reason to hide so completely,' he prodded, giving her cowl a pointed look. She ignored it.

'How did you get involved in this misadventure?' she asked him. She half twisted to cast a glance behind her to the bed and it was not lost on him how she had placed herself between the hobbits and himself. 'You knew Frodo's name, you spoke of Gandalf. As he is the only one not here that can speak for himself can I draw that he is the one who told you of this journey?'

'Yes, I am a friend of Gandalf the Grey,' he said, irked but willing to let go this time the matter of her blatant disregard for his earlier statement, 'he passed along a message to me, I was to go to Bree in a months time and wait for him and two hobbits.' he looked back out the window, 'when he did not arrive and your party had, I knew something was wrong.'

'I see' she replied, eyes also searching the night beyond the glass. 'Have you any idea where he could be?'

'No' he murmured, settling more comfortably in his chair, 'no I don't.'

Sakura watched the street while every few moments looking up to the rooftops as time crept forward. She could feel Strider's eyes on her whenever she shifted though he gave the appearance of ignoring her. She almost said something, just to spook him, but something indefineable caught her attention and she looked back outside.

The thundering of hooves rose in pitch down in the street and cantered to a stop in front of the building they had been staying in, where five black figures dismounted and entered the tavern, light glinting off the exposed steel of their swords. She glowered at their disappearing figures from the depths of her hood, lips pulled back at the repugnant taste they left in her mouth and the echoing chill that passed through her mind.

A rustle behind her made her turn and she saw the small form of Frodo tossing in his sleep, murmuring to himself as he fought with the blankets that twisted around his legs. She frowned even as she made her way over to him. She freed him from his self-made trap, shaking his shoulder to wake him.

'Frodo, Frodo wake up' his eyes fluttered open to give her a bleary look, 'it's just a dream Frodo. Wake up.'

_Skriiiiiiiiiiiii!_

She jumped just as the hobbits did at the shrill cries, whipping around to look at the Ranger. Strider continued smoking on his pipe, his eyes on the windows across the way where furtive movement could be seen through the curtains. His non-reaction and continued repose were enough to tell her that he was not surprised by the sound and even knew where it had come from. And she supposed so did she.

It was a terrible noise, like birds of prey and the scraping of glass, mixed with a certain something that inspired chills in any living creature who heard it. She could think of nothing in her life that could equal such a sound, though the sound of weapons clashing and people dying violently could evoke an nearly similar response. It put her in mind of the war she had been a part of back in her home world. It was not a good sound, not at all.

'What are they?' Frodo asked from beside her, looking at the man. The other hobbits were watching the exchange from their places on the bed, scared.

Green eyes glowing in the dark flickered in the flash of lightning. They didn't waver from the rangers' face.

'They were once men,' Strider said darkly, 'Great King's of Men, Then Sauron the deceiver gave them Nine Rings of Power. Blinded by their greed they took them without question, one by one falling into darkness and now they are slaves to his will.

'They are Nazgul, Ring-wraiths, neither living or dead. At all times they feel the presence of the ring. Drawn to the power of the one,' he met Frodo's gaze with piercing blue eyes, 'they will never stop hunting you.'

_Great_, she drawled mentally, looking at Strider then outside again. _We're being followed by the ghost of royalty past._

'We'll have to leave soon.' she said aloud, turning away from the ranger to give Frodo a reassuring smile, 'sleep, you are going to need your rest.'

Frodo nodded, still uncertain, but going back to bed where he fell asleep soon after his head hit the pillow. The smile leaked out of her face. She went back to the window. Strider watched her.

'You should sleep' Strider told her. She cut in before he could continue.

'I would rather stay awake, thanks,' she replied, throwing a glare to the glass where the barest of light flickered through.

'Do you not trust me?' he asked, she nearly scoffed at him.

'It's a little early to be talking about trust.' He frowned at that.

'I just helped you' he retorted, but she shrugged his reply off.

'Look beneath the underneath.'

It was an odd thing to say, but it came easily to her lips as if she had said it many times before. His face must have looked confused because she elaborated.

'Deception is multifaceted and can take any form.' She focused on the rain pouring outside, 'being cautious is not a crime.'

He didn't like it but he conceded her point, but not without trying.

'The others of your party do not have the same instinct.'

This time she did snort, startling him.

'Hobbits are a trusting people, to the point of excess,' she met his gaze, 'Not everyone has had that luxury.' The light reflecting in her eyes gave them a luminescent quality.

Another shrill call outside drew their attention and they forgot what they were talking about.


	8. Chapter 8

They set out the next day for Rivendell. Sakura had refused to follow Strider anywhere until he told her where they were going. Frodo had verified for her that their destination was a real place while Strider acquired a pony with Sam and told her that Gandalf was friends with the elves so it would make sense for him to be there. Though she still had her misgivings, she agreed to go along with the trip, placating herself with the thought that should Strider prove to be deceitful she was more than capable of cutting him down in the most painful way she could think of.

They left Bree and civilization by going directly into the woods. Frodo and the hobbits moved together a yard behind Strider with the pony Bill, while Sakura took up the back, keeping at least six yards between them. She sank into the trees and undergrowth after the hobbits had turned their attention forward; in the early morning light she wanted to make sure there were no visible tells that they had come this way.

_Only a blind, decrepit, civilian __**canary**__ wouldn't see these tracks._ She sighed to herself, knowing she had her work cut out for her. _Hobbits. Worse bodyguard job ever._

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'What are these?' Sakura asked Merry when he fell behind the group to be a couple feet in front of her, looking over the roundish, bushy plants they were passing; they were only a few feet taller than the ranger who was leading them. Merry gave her a bewildered look as he answered,

'They're trees. What else would they be?' before turning away to catch up to the others.

She gave the plant a dubious look.

'These are _not_ trees.' she said aloud even thought Merry was no longer paying attention. 'These are shrubs _pretending_ to be trees!'

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The rain was about the only good thing about their trip so far, she thought to herself from her place at the back of the group. It did a great job of erasing their tracks behind them and the bog, while unpleasant, was also a boon in her opinion; every step the halflings took vanished minutes after being made and she couldn't help but smile to herself as she trekked across the top of the water between islands of mud. _It's also great for camouflaging the fact that my boots aren't soaked through and muddy. _

She listened to Merry cry ahead of her,

'What do they eat when they can't get Hobbit?' she could see Pippin just behind Merry. He was swinging his arms around his head, and spinning like a frantic dervish. She held in her laughter when he tipped over too far and fell into the muddy water with a splash, yelping on the way down.

Her cloak twisted around her legs and she soaked up the warmth the inside lining provided. It had been made with her instructions in mind by some people she had met further east and they had included the cloak she had been wearing when she fell into this world as a layer between the fur on the inside and the water-resistant outside; the material of the old cloak was impossible to be replicated in Middle Earth so its qualities -thermal and air tight- would have been lost so it made perfect sense to use it somehow rather than get rid of it after she had outgrown the original.

Sakura looked over their heads to where she could see Strider moving steadily through the rain and mud. Ahead of him she could see more swamp for at least another two days.

She'd have to tell the hobbits about the plants they were passing that they could use to repel the insects when they stopped.

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The night was upon them and the hobbits had all gone to sleep. Strider had waited for her to catch up before taking off to hunt down their dinner which she had helped him cook and pass around to the halflings before conceding to let the ranger take the first watch.

Sakura sank down on the opposite side, twitching the fall of her cloak to make it fan out before sitting. The skin prickled along her arms and she looked up to see the ranger giving her a contemplative eye.

'Is there something the matter?' she asked him, already thinking about what it was likely to be but he shook his head, looking away.

'Nothing.' he replied so she let it drop. After a while she sank into a light sleep where colors danced and foggy memories of Konoha passed by with faded memories of her friends that called her name. It used to be, dreams like that made her chest ache with paralyzing sorrow, the reminder of what she'd had and lost would weigh on her lungs until she couldn't breathe without crying. But now, after so much time, the pain had lessened. It wasn't gone, no, but thinking about _them_ no longer stopped her in her tracks.

Music flitted in between the visions; softly sung in a deep voice and reminded her of something in passing. It roused her from her sleep, however, Sakura did not give any sign that she had woken. She listened to the song, coming from Strider she realized; she wasn't certain but it sounded similar to the liquid language she had heard from the wood elves when she, Sam and Frodo had first set out. It was haunting and beautiful and it fit well with the dream she had been having.

A sound near the hobbits alerted her to Frodo getting up.

'Who is she?' his voice asked. 'This woman you sing of.'

'Tis the Lady of Luthien' Strider spoke softly, 'the elf-maiden who gave her love to Beren, a mortal.'

'What happened to her?'

There was a beat of silence.

'She died.'

Sakura's mind went over the rangers answer. More specifically, his tone.

His answer had been frank. His voice was matter-of-fact. He sounded indifferent, but, to her trained ears, it was not honest. He had wanted to appear nonchalant but by his very attitude he was revealed. The story he had been singing about and the female in it, it meant something to him. Somehow he could relate to the characters in the song and Sakura wondered if somewhere there was an elf-maiden that loved him in the same way.

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'This was the great watchtower of Amon Sul; we will rest here for the night.'

They scaled the side of the structure, the hobbits more slowly than the ranger. Sakura, in the darkening light, walked up the steep incline like the trees of her youth, confidant of her low visibility which prevented any who might decide to look back from seeing what she was doing.

Strider called a halt to their progress and dropped his gear on the plateau they had come to. He gestured for the hobbits to come closer, drawing a cache of swords out for the halflings.

'These are for you.' He said. He picked one up from the pile and held it out for Sakura to take. 'Take this.'

She looked at the scabbard and his hand but didn't move. Strider raised an eyebrow and offered the weapon to her again but she still didn't take it.

'No thanks. I'm good.' When he looked like he would insist, she reached into the depths of her hood until her hand was past her shoulder and grasped something. With dexterity, she performed an unusual movement of her wrist and drew a curved sword from her back.

The weapon was the length of her arm from shoulder to knuckle, made in a long graceful curl, blade gently flowing up while the grip curved down. The pummel was a faded red leather with metallic rings every three-quarters worked in, and the guard was tear drop shaped, with the point facing the ground. The blade itself was similar to a diamond tip, sharpened like the end of a standard sword, but past that the sharpening stayed on the outer curve. The metal was worn, with signs of long use, but Sakura had obviously taken care of it; the curve was still wickedly sharp. Sakura understood it was related to a scimitar.

Strider let the matter drop and stated that he was going to take a look around, dropping out of sight soon after.

Sam built a small fire for warmth after Frodo had drifted off into a fitful sleep. Sakura left the hobbits on the small platform on the watchtower's other side while she climbed one of the crumbling pillars. When there was nothing blocking her view in all directions she sat back on the stone and pulled back her hood. Her hands went under her hair in an experienced motion and flipped the long mass free.

'Ugh,' she grimaced as her fingers came in contact with tangles in her bangs and greasy scalp.

She reached into the folds of her cloak and pulled out a small comb decorated with a simple vine motif made of bone. She pulled her braid around and, pulling the tie free, she began working on it.

She started from the bottom which pooled in her lap, using slow, careful strokes, using her fingers when a tangle was too much for the teeth running through it to handle. Sakura held the ends closer as sunlight gave way to night and she thought about the trip so far.

_The days are getting shorter. Strider said we have another week and a half to reach Rivendel, where the Ring will be safe. _Sakura moved a few inches higher and repeated her motions. _Frodo will give the Ring to the elves and the hobbits can return home, safe and sound. I can accompany them back to the Shire and afterward we can part ways as unlikely friends and I can totally get out of staying, guilt-free! This whole mission should take a month and a half, two months if I can't keep them from stopping for food six times a day. _She huffed at the memory of 'second breakfast'. _How does a society evolve to need six meals per day?_

The comb ran down the length of her rose colored hair, smooth and uninterrupted. The braid she wore it in kept the worst of the snags from forming and proved useful in keeping her hair's true length concealed. Sakura enjoyed having long hair but it was the smart thing to do when on a journey to keep it out of the way.

After she finished caring for it, she pulled it all back, found a point just past her shoulders and did the tricky act of braiding her hair until a hands-length was left free and tied the braid off. That would be the best she could do until they were back among civilization.

A breeze ruffled her bangs. She wondered where Strider was; she needed to know when to take watch. She looked around in all directions once more before sitting down, satisfied that her bird's nest was a good one and that there were few trees in this area to impede her sight.

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_Bacon. _Sakura's head swiveled around to face the hobbit's location.

The wind had shifted just minutes ago and it brought the smell of cooked meat to her perch, along with an accompanying rumble of hunger from her stomach, reminding her that she had not eaten since early morning. _Food._ Another breath and she picked up the additional smell of sausage and fried tomatoes. _They've been cooking for a while, just downwind of me til now._ Another gurgle from her stomach brought her to her feet and she made to climb down to join the hobbits.

'What are you doing?' the loud question made her flinch, 'put it out you fools, put it out!' She couldn't believe how loud Frodo was being, he was going to give away their position if he didn't shut,

_Shhrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!_

'Gods above!' she cursed. She flicked her hood up to help her blend into the darkness and scanned the ground below. She wanted to curse again as the hobbits made a racket in their panic that only helped their enemy find them. She looked back the way they came, _where the hell are you Strider?_

Out of the night fog rolled along the ground in ghostly wisps, curling around bare shrubs and the skeletons of small trees. The air grew cold but Sakura was going numb, focus on the ground where shapes were cutting through the mist with dark purpose.

'Sakura!' Frodo called out to her from below. She leaped from one pillar to another.

_Stop shouting!_ She'd have to talk to Frodo about how quick to panic he was.

She looked down to see the halflings reach the center dais, swords drawn and circling with their backs to one another.

_Here they come._ She thought to herself as she crouched on her perch. Five figures glided out of the darkness, their black robes draped over their forms so completely that one could not derive sex nor race from them. The wraiths drew swords in unison, holding them up in a gesture of salute (or showmanship) before lowering them parallel to the ground and advanced on her principle. She rocked forward onto the balls of her feet and when one moved ahead and singled out Frodo, she jumped.

Dagger sliding into her hand, she reached the apex of her jump and brought her legs under her, the loose pieces of her cloak fluttering dramatically around her. With her weight behind her she collided with the lead wraiths skull feet first; the impact so unexpected and forceful the wraith dropped to the ground with a scream, it's sword flying out of the wraith's surprised hand. She twisted as she rose, hood falling away, and released the dagger in a burst of movement into the cowl of another wraith. It too screamed.

Two of them skirted around her while a third came at her with his sword. She turned into the blow, using the movement to disguise her drawing her sword from her back where it was usually remained, hidden by her cloak and cowl.

She parried the next strike and returned the favor, forcing the creature to back up and she used the moment to check on the hobbits.

Sakura felt frustration leak into her bloodstream at the sight before her. Sam, Merry and Pippin had been tossed aside and Frodo was on the ground backing away from the wraith (_Nazgul? That's what Strider said, right?_ She thought for an insane second). A sword entered her line of sight and she had to look away as she came in under the wraiths swing. In a vicious move she rammed her sword in and _up_, going under where she assumed the rib cage started, and when it reached relative height of the heart she _twisted_.

Living or dead, it seemed to work -sort of- because her opponent lurched and stumbled backwards and tried to get off of her weapon. It was at this point that Strider appeared with a roar, swinging a torch in one hand and sword in another and Frodo let out a pained cry behind her.

_About time! Where the hell was he and why didn't he notice __**five freaking enemies**__ sneak up on us?_ Anger bubbled up, hot and scorching, and she wanted to take it out on somebody. She peeled the one she'd smashed off the ground and hurled it into the night with unnecessary force, taking pleasure from the scream that followed it and petered off the further away the wraith flew. She turned around to find another opponent and almost ran into the path of a torch whipping past her to bury itself flame first in the face of the last wraith standing, Strider having dispatched the other two.

If she weren't so pissed she would have applauded. Things being what they were however, she stormed up to the ranger and got in his face, eyes flashing and completely ignoring the stunned look he was directing at her hair and facial features. In the moonlight it was impossible to miss the otherworldly shade of her hair and the foreign slants and curves of her features.

'You are supposed to be good at this! Five enemies infiltrated our perimeter, **five**!' She was shoving the ranger every few words, eyes flashing with ire, 'your incompetence in securing the principal is unspeakable!'

It was a pained noise from Frodo and the fretting of the other hobbits that drew her away from reaming the ranger further. She turned and went for the hobbit in question but not without looking over her shoulder and pointing at Strider.

'We're not finished!'

Sakura skidded to the hobbit's side on her knees, hands falling against his chest and ripping the material apart, baring the wound. She probed the skin around the wound before pressing her fingers against the split, letting the sensitive pads of her first and second digit tell her what her eyes couldn't. The hobbit convulsed at the lance of pain the action caused but she could only apologize for it mentally. _Sorry Frodo. The pain is necessary._

Past the familiar resistance of muscle and bone, she felt a foreign presence; rigid and inflexible, the minute triangle was the tip of the sword he had been speared with. Strider was beside her now and he was holding said sword by the handle while the blade blew away as dust under his darkened gaze.

'He's been stabbed by a Morgul Blade.' he said as he threw down the grip.

'And? What?' Sakura intersected, 'what does that mean?'

'Morgul Blades are made of darkness and the same unholy power of the Nazgul; it will corrupt him and make him like them.'

_Huh._ She squinted in the dark to see the faintest black lines spreading outward from the wound just under the hobbits skin. _Poison. Flushing it out through his blood stream would be the first thing I would do but, darkness? I don't know enough to try; I could end up making it spread faster and for all I know it probably imitates an aggressive infection and I'll be cutting off his toes or something to contain it. _She shook the last panicky thought away. _Focus! This is beneath you, you were trained better! Talk to the ranger, he knows something._

All this she thought in seconds, and pulled back to look at Strider.

'I don't dare take action for fear of making it worse.' Sakura told Strider honestly, 'Can you do something?'

Strider shook his head and gathered the hobbit up in his arms.

'This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs elvish medicine.'

Strider took off, running as best he could with the added weight on him with Sakura next to him and the hobbits following them.

'We're six days from Rivendell. He'll never make it!' Sam cried from behind Sakura and Strider.

Sakura was silent while Sam fretted aloud and Strider moved along with purpose. She heard the ranger mutter to the unconscious boy.

'Hold on Frodo.'

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_Huh._ She thought to herself while examining the stone. _Trolls._

Behind her she could hear Sam trying to communicate with the ailing Frodo; she heard Sam's claim that the stone trolls were property of Bilbo and she wondered how one came about purchasing large crumbling replicas of such an ugly creature and why. _He did strike me as a bit odd. _

Sakura turned away from the monstrosity to check on the hobbits, in time to see Sam touch Frodo's cheek and lose what little composure the gardener had. He turned to the Ranger who was looking out into the surrounding woods, torch held high.

'He's goin' cold!'

Pippin's voice echoed his own worry.

'Is he going to die?'

Sakura joined the hobbits and placed a hand on Pippin's shoulder. Using the most comforting tone possible she tried to calm them down.

'No one is going to die.' She said firmly, 'Frodo will be fine.'

'How do you know that?' he asked her. His expression was one of doubt, his brow furrowed and drawn up in the center; his eyes were glittering with the feelings he couldn't keep to himself. 'How do you know?'

'I have faith.'

It was the simplest answer, but it was also the truth. She held his eyes as she ended her statement. Behind Pippin she could see Strider and Sam take off into the woods.

'You need to have it too.'

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Strider's return was heralded by the rustling of grass and shrubbery. Sakura's eyes tracked the ranger's path and was surprised when instead of the man there was in fact a _female_ who entered camp before Strider appeared on her heels. Sakura narrowed her eyes.

There was something odd about the beautiful woman that niggled at her brain. Said woman knelt beside Frodo, and Sakura listened to her speak, noting the way the ailing hobbit focused on the female like they hadn't been able to for anyone else. The female had a pale beauty; long darn hair pulled away from her face but left falling around and past her shoulders in waves, clear blue eyes that Sakura could see even in the dim light, high cheek bones, delicate facial arching, strait nose and full rosy lips that gave her a perpetual pout. Sakura saw the woman's hair shift and spotted a dainty pointed ear.

'She's an elf' Sam murmured to her right.

'He's fading.' the elf said, the ranger next to her pressing the herb mush into Frodo's wound, 'We must get him to my father.'

Sakura helped bundle Frodo up and get him on the horse the elf had rode in on and stepped back to stand on one side of the other halflings. Pippin was the closest and she could hear him when he asked the air what Strider and the elf were saying. She didn't answer.

There was a moment between the ranger and maiden, and Sakura reflected back to the night when he sang of love between the immortal and the human. _This is the one,_ she thought, _he's in love._

Sakura didn't know what to make of it, other than that Strider was beating himself up for something he couldn't help and for the female for loving him in return, whose feelings he couldn't control. _Angst for angst' sake. Idiot._

The thunder of hooves snapped her out of her thoughts. The elf was riding off with Sakura's charge like the bats of hell were after her. Sakura couldn't let that go.

'What are you doing?' Sam yelled at the ranger, 'Those wraiths are still out there!'

Strider's eyes followed the riders until he couldn't see them anymore, mentally wishing them a safe journey. Pippin's voice took a moment for Strider and the others to register, said just before a dark form burst past the ranger with so much force it made his cloak kick up and dance around him impressively.

'Where's Sakura?'


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

In the early light of dawn Sakura was a dark bird of unflagging intent. Her eyes focused far ahead on the figure riding furiously on a white horse.

On that horse racing toward their desired destination was a small male that needed her to be at her best, her fastest, and most efficient so that he made it to safety and received help. Her pace was such that her feet barely skimmed the ground as she switched between the trees and the earth whenever necessary. The sunlight filtered through the thin cloud cover was a tickling warmth on the land in the early morning as she took another breath. They had covered more ground in hours than double what Sakura had covered the entire time with the hobbits and ranger.

Inside she was thrilled. The speed with which they were traveling was a wonderful release after having to crawl in accommodation for halflings and she couldn't keep the slight smile that touched the edges of her lips from creeping up.

This was a freedom that she hadn't realized she missed. A quiet life in the Shire was nice, but it wasn't a life for her; she had always needed more.

The sound of horses thundering across the earth drew her attention in time to see all nine of the Nazgul emerge from the trees, racing furiously after the elf maiden and hobbit. Sakura felt the lines of her face smooth down to neutral and she increased her speed.

_I'll work my way forward, _she thought to herself as she drew up along-side the last wraith.

'Hello lover,' she said to the creature, the words coming from the fog of old memories that she used less and less over time. Her smile was mischievous even while she pulled her fist back and slammed it into the rider's side, dislodging him from his horse. The Nazgul made a lot of noise as it went down, kicking up great clouds of dirt and she smiled all the wider when she took its place on the horse, her hands collecting the reigns and spurring the animal forward.

'Oh I'm so sorry!' she rode between two others, both of which pulled their swords when they noticed her. 'Not! Come on boys, show me what you're working with!'

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Arwen was pushing her steed to its limits and the trees were turning into blurs as her eyes focused ahead of her over the cowl-covered head of Frodo, paying no mind when a branch came too close and slapped her, leaving behind a thin red line across her cheek. She could hear the Nazgul behind her, _feel_ the unnatural taint of them pass along the walls of her mind, and the noise they made set her teeth on edge.

She looked to her right as she rode through a tight space between some trees. Some of the wraiths had caught up to her and she urged her horse again to go faster but Asphaloth was already racing as fast as he could and one of the wraiths reached out to grab Frodo.

Arwen pulled to the side in a sharp movement while the wraith suddenly jerked back and tumbled off his horse, to be replaced by a pink haired girl dressed in darkness whose smile revealed white teeth set in a wicked grin.

'Keep going, I'll keep them occupied.' the girl said and dropped back to circle to her other side where the other wraith was shrieking at them.

The elleth was puzzled by the girl's arrival but didn't have time to dwell on it and focused back to the front. She didn't look back so she didn't see the girl smash a fist into the nazgul's right lobe sending it and its horse crashing to the ground.

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The wraiths still capable of chasing them fell back a few lengths and Sakura felt pleased with her work. Having made sure their path was clear for a few precious moments Sakura spurred the horse on, keeping up with the elf-maiden.

_They're keeping up but they haven't tried to gain on us. _She couldn't keep her grin from getting a little wider. _So they can be scared; good to know._

It was at this point that the horse seemed to realize it wasn't carrying the right rider, and started tossing its head and rearing up, trying to throw Sakura off. Her grip on the bridle was the only thing keeping her seated as she struggled to get the horse moving again.

'Whoa, whoa! Easy boy,' the horse reared up again, its hooves pawing at the air, 'easy!'

The mount tossed its head, teeth snapping, backing up in circles. Then without paying her tugging at the reigns any mind, it started to back track. She had a feeling it was going back to its rider.

Sakura looked down at the steed with a frown before looking ahead at the elleth who carried precious cargo moving further and further away and made a executive decision.

She let go of the leather strips and sprung forward, leaving the horse in confusion as she raced ahead of it to catch up with Arwen, feet barely touching the ground as she ran. The trees were closer together, evergreens that she couldn't hide or climb in, which kept her even more so on the ground. The ground was changing too, becoming more stone and loose shale, with the scent of water becoming more prevalent.

Sakura cursed to herself. _The riders are regrouping._ She could see them; masses of dark shrouds that billowed around their bodies, following behind the pale horse with its raven haired elleth. Her heart pounded in her chest, pulse beating in her ears. The clock was ticking for Frodo, she could practically _hear_ the hobbit's lungs falter. The adrenaline she loved took on a bitter tinge, tasting like time was souring in her mouth and she pushed herself harder.

She passed between two horses, each a towering monolith compared to her small form, glad for the stealth she still possessed as the rider's shrieked like banshees in surprise, ducking out of the way as one of them tried to skewer her with a sword. She approached the white horse and followed it as it surged ahead, putting a few extra lengths between them and their enemy, and across the riverbed that suddenly appeared in their way; her feet barely skimmed across the top of the water before they paused on the opposite side to look back. Black horses reared and skittered to a halt, refusing to cross. Arwen hugged Frodo to her chest, blue eyes trained warily on the creatures across the way.

One of them turned to face the elleth in an obvious direction of its attention. A voice that rasped and gargled, smashed against the air like rocks grinding on themselves issued forth in a blatant command.

'_**Give up the halfling she-elf**_'

Sakura looked up to the female, wondering how she would answer.

The sound of metal rang as Arwen pulled her sword free and held it above her head, proud and resolved. The sword was a gentle sweeping curve from grip to blade tip, shining silver in the light with the thinnest swirling lines of gold trailing down the flat of the blade and inlaid in the handle. Sakura could appreciate the beauty of it and the skill required to make it. Arwen spoke, and it was fierce and challenging, something else Sakura could respect.

'If you want him, come and claim him!'

Sakura echoed her, thin feather styled blades slid into her hands from no where, her lips pulling back into a convincing snarl. Her stomach churned at the time they were wasting but couldn't think of any way to get out of this fight save for finishing it quickly.

The Nazgul moved awkwardly at first then seemed to gather themselves. With a collective wail they charged forward, their horses' hooves sending up arcs of water. Sakura dropped into a crouch.

'_…_' Sakura had a moment of confusion until she looked up the side of the horse to see the elleth speaking. '…' Liquid words escaped the elleth's mouth. '…' the stream of thought gave a beat and echoed. The sound grew and pulsed with power and Sakura heard it; a dim roar around the bend that grew to a frightful roar. Something large came around the stone wall and she felt her eyes widen and her heart quicken.

Holy Shit.

It was as if her memories had come to life for one fleeting moment. The wall of water thundered down upon the wraith's in a fury of mustangs, what they were lacking in braying they made up for with the roaring of white rapids. There was a pang in her chest.

_The crash of water dragon against water dragon. Kakashi against Zabuza in the Land of Wave._

The pain of remembrance was only an echo now. It had been long years since she had parted with her homeland, and time did what time did best and dulled the hurt until all that was left was a melancholy acknowledgment that that part of her life had ended. She lived in the here and now.

The elleth's moment of victory was short lived as while the water carried away their foes, the rapidly declining health of the hobbit was put into sharp contrast.

'No,' the softly spoken word caught Sakura's attention and she looked up only to see the elf drap from her saddle to lay Frodo out on the ground. His face was white, covered in sweat even while he shivered, and the blue iris set in blood shot eyes was unnaturally bright as his voice shrilled and choked. 'Frodo don't give in!'

Tears were building in the elleth's eyes. Sakura dropped to her knees, pulling the boys shirt open to splay her fingers across his chest. She concentrated and sent out a surge of energy, seeking.

The poison had reached his lungs, they were dying cell by cell and what was failing was filling with liquid. His blood, which had carried the toxin initially, was thickening, the white blood cells turning black as his immune system failed and the red cells showing up more and more blue and less oxygen made it into his body. He was choking to death (or undeath). His heart was struggling to beat, any longer and it would fail completely. They were out of time.

'Where is it we're going?' She barked to the female, who looked at her with wide, misty, blue eyes. 'Quickly! Where are we going?'

'To my father, in Rivendel,' the elleth replied, confused by the sudden intensity being directed at her, 'Ada is a skilled healer.'

'Alright,' Sakura said, gathering the hobbit up into her arms, Frodo's face tucked into her neck, 'point me in the right direction and I will get him there faster than both of us together.' Her hand hidden in the folds of Frodo's cloak, Sakura sent a surge of healing light into the boy's back to help repair some of the damage to his lungs so he would keep breathing. A sharp intake of air told her it had worked, for now, and she got to her feet.

'How,' the elleth tried to ask but Sakura cut her off with a fierce, **WHERE?**, and the elleth pointed strait out to her left.

Sakura secured Frodo and oblivious to the questioning eyes on her, took off in a burst of speed, fueled by sever necessity. Frodo needed her at her best.

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Instinct drove her and she gave herself completely to it. There were no trees, no stone, no undergrowth, just blurring lines and her body flinging itself around with the grace of a skilled predator that relied not on sight but on smell and touch and that undefinable, baffling, _knowing_ that guided the animal around obstacles without having to watch for them. She didn't have to think about where she was stepping, she simply _did, _and that was enough as she drew closer and closer to her destination. Frodo's weight in her arms kept what little focus she was giving to the moment trained squarely on his condition and it was a small burst of relief in her mind when walls appeared in front of her. She didn't bother with finding a door and just ran up and over, moving so fast that none of the elves along the wall saw her streak by.

Skidding to a stop, she was suddenly noticed by a smattering of people in the square, and those with weapons pointed them at her. It was by small miracle her hood had stayed up after her run so none of them saw more than the lower half of her face and the glow of her eyes.

'I need a healer!' she yelled, moving Frodo enough to show his pallid face. Some of the elves drew back while others cleared a path. She headed in the direction the path had opened in, meeting with a brunette elf with a gold circlet on his crown who only had eyes for Frodo. The elf spoke, ushering her on with him.

'This way, quickly.'

She followed, mind rising back up past instinct, her footfalls making nary a sound. She was led down pathways until the elf passed into a particular dwelling calling for herbs, hot water and bandages, not stopping until he came to a room with a bed where an anonymous elleth placed the items requested next to the bed. Without needing to be told, she lowered Frodo onto the bed, pulling back the healing energy from her hand before the serious looking elf noticed.

'Leave us' he commanded. The elleth did as told, but Sakura didn't move. The elf gave her a stern gaze while his hands went through the motions of cleaning the wound, his look speaking for him. She met him stare for stare.

'I'm not going anywhere,' she promised him, 'unless you give your word he's safe with you.'

The elf seemed surprised, but leveled her with a solemn look.

'I give my word that Frodo Baggins will come to no harm while in my care.'

She held his eyes a moment longer, then nodded and backed out the door; the last thing her gaze went to, the small body resting on top of the sheets struggling for air.

The elleth that had left the room before her, stood next to the door, and smiled at her.

'I will show you to a room where you can bathe and change in to something more comfortable.'

'Thank you.' Sakura said, letting the female lead her away.

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Sakura sighed as her eyelashes fluttered over bright green eyes, the warm water lapping around her lips as she dozed a little bit in the tub. A month without a real bath hadn't been unbearable but damn did she appreciate one when it presented itself. She held her breath as she dropped underwater completely, letting the soap and grime wash out of her hair, smiling in pleasure. '_Whose got clean hair, I've got clean hair!'_ she sing sang mentally and pushed her fingers through her long tresses that floated around her face in lazy tendrils.

She surfaced when her lungs started to protest and wished she could stay in the water longer, but she reluctantly got to her feet, grabbing the towel beside the tub, wrapping it around her torso. The she-elf that had brought Sakura here had been kind enough to supply a privacy screen which she looked around. On the bed clothes were laid out and, judging from the creamy white color of the material, were not ones she had brought with her. _'She said something about laundering, she must have meant everything.' _Quickly drying her skin, she wrapped her hair up with the now slightly damp cloth and approached the bed.

Shaking out the article, she wrinkled her nose at it. A dress. With fine gold accents. She hadn't worn anything like it in her life. Sighing, she tried it on.

It fit well, wrapping becomingly around her lithe form, accenting her modest breasts and hinting at her legs by the length of the skirt which she would have to carry to avoid tripping. The bare shoulders look seemed to be favored among the female elves, and given how her skin shone against the stretch of material, she could understand why even if it left her feeling a little exposed.

Looking again she saw a matching pair of slippers which she put on. God did it make her feel dainty. Shoulder drooping in acceptance, she sat in the only chair in the room with her comb and began the arduous task of drying and combing her hair.

_'Alone doesn't hurt anymore, the pain's too strong to feel it. Alone doesn't work anymore there's no one left to heal it.' _Carefully she towel dried her hair, humming the next verse. Her voice is soft, rusty from disuse, and the words old, but it's a comforting habit, one she used to fill the silence during her travels. She liked to believe she wasn't bad (no, not great, but at least not bad).

Another hummed verse, the teeth of the comb moving smoothly through the pale pink of her hair. The soap here was amazing, she'd have to remember to grab a few bars before she left.

_'Faith doesn't come from inside, you've got to go and get it. Faith doesn't stay by your side, you've got to not regret it,' _she paused for a moment to consider putting everything into a braid then decided against it, '_if I look my faith in the eyes and let my tears flow with grace, then maybe someday I'll find a life for me to embrace.'_

Humming the rest, she raked her fingers through the locks a few times to allow her bangs to fall forward and tossed the rest over her shoulder to fall freely. She shivered when the still damp hair hit the back of her neck but quickly shook it off. She climbed the side of the bed and nestled under the covers, moving her hair around so that she didn't lay on top of it. It was dusk now, and she could see night falling beyond the archways that led out to a balcony; just beyond clear sight she saw little lights being lit all over the city and somewhere else she heard faint music lilting in the air. The sound of many ethereal voices rocked her to sleep and she forgot she still wore slippers as her thoughts dispersed and were replaced by dreams.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Not my characters.

Author's Note: Have fuuuunnn. :)

Vala of Changing Light

Chapter Ten

Gathering Arrows

Morning came, as morning does, following the sound of a door being gently pushed open and the soft sound of footsteps crossing the floor. A single green eyes opened, hidden by a fall of pink hair and the lumpy walls of her comforter as Sakura watched the figure that intruded on her sleep. She kept very still so as not to give away her state of awareness as the female elf placed more clothing on the desk beside the bed. The elleth seemed puzzled for a moment, looking around the room before her eyes fell on the figure 'dozing' peacefully under the covers. Sakura almost faked waking up but decided against it. She waited until the elleth left before popping up out of her cocoon to check what the elleth had brought. Reaching across the blankets she caught sight of a length of creamy white and blinked. Then laughed.

She'd gone to bed in the dress.

Oh man, she must have been so out of it the day before, just climbing into bed and knocking out without so much as taking off her shoes. Looking down she huffed at how rumpled the material now was, carding a hand through the crown of her hair as she pulled the other dress off the desk to examine it. The material spilled across the comforter in a wash of red and gold, the cloth of the skirt opening in the front to reveal ripples of white and gold that would brush the ground in a flickering show of brilliant color. It was lovely truly, but wow did the thing make her wonder about where the rest of her clothes were.

_No sense laying about._ Sakura thought, shoving the blanket aside and sliding over the side until her feet hit the ground where she started stripping.

The dress was lovely, adding a flush to her face that any shade of red brighter than it would have washed her out, and the gold was again a lovely addition to the whole thing while her feet were bare this time, flickering in and out of sight when she walked. She didn't much care for the sleeves though, falling in long graceful sweeps that covered her hands and had to be handled or else would get in the way of everything. She huffed; she didn't have grace enough for that.

Garbed and curious, she opened the door to her room and peered out. There was no one in sight, and light was filtering in from the open arches that gave her windows on the natural beauty that blended seamlessly with the structures the elves had built. _Lovely. I'd like,_ she thought with a growing smile,_ to see more._

The following glide to the edge of the arch and ensuing swing into the sky was accomplished without witness or consideration for her hosts' state of mind. Well, she **had** been alone for far longer than she'd had company, her manners had to have suffered a loss.

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Gold, yellow, orange, brown, leaves of all the fall colors fluttered gracefully past her as Sakura scaled yet another tree, heading for an open balcony across the way from her room. The light shifted across her face, the smell of the earth filled her nose and she smiled truly for the first time in ages, her heart a little giddy in her chest. Through the leaves she could see elves drifting from archway to archway and guards walking the length of the boundaries. Their forms moving tall and graceful, ethereal and inhuman. Under the branches of the tree she hid in she could see two of them, a male and female whispering softly to each other, careful touches passing between them with soft joy in their features. Eyebrows rose and she discretely left, heading up a few feet before leaping for a different branch, wondering where she could find some food.

There was a soft hiss behind her as the skirt of her dress slithered over the bark of the tree she scaled. The sun was warm against her back where it managed to filter through the leaves. Birds took off in flight and from her left she caught the scent of something cooking. A rumble in her stomach told her to take a left and she followed the scent until she found an opening, through which she saw a kitchen.

_Hello._ She smiled wide. She peered around the edge of the sill before creeping in, a giggle building up in her throat that she stifled. With silent feet she started ghosting around the room.

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Half a loaf of bread, a handful of fruit, a salad, and a jug of elvish wine; that was the extent of her plundering with which she was now curled up with on the rooftop of someone's house, enjoying the sunlight. She sighed happily as she bit into the bread, perfectly fluffy and just the barest bit sweet. The sun had already passed the apex of its climb putting the day somewhere in the afternoon with the wind blowing leaves past her perch while the scent of autumn only made her smile wider. The scents of the different seasons were one of the few things that hadn't changed from world to world and it helped the loneliness she sometimes felt as well as the ache for the home she hadn't seen in years.

She was popping grapes in her mouth when she heard the sound of horses at the wall; she had chosen a house close to it to ruminate on. Rolling onto her side she peered over the edge to get a look at whoever had just arrived. Down below she saw a man in fine clothing draw his horse to a stop as he looked around with masked interest and she felt her eyebrows draw up. _Lookie, a human._ He was a dashing, handsome man. Dark blond hair and neat facial hair, she couldn't make out a color but she would bet on something light, and he held himself strait and proud. She smirked. There was a fellow who knew his worth.

She watched as he was approached by some elves, one of which was a tall, imposing blond who gave some odd little hand to the chest gesture before beckoning the human to follow him. She looked down at her hands and mimicked the motion. Huh. A greeting maybe? She looked back over but the human had gotten off his horse and was already out of sight. She ate another grape.

_First human I've seen in a while, not counting Strider. Where the hell are the others anyway?_ The thought of her traveling companions brought her up a little short and she took a drink of the wine she lifted. _Hmm, hopefully with the target gone (Frodo) those Nazgul will ignore their group and they'll be able to get here without another attack. I don't like that they've only got one person to protect them._ _Two of those Hobbits are prone to anarchy._

..o0O0o..

Sakura was walking along the outer walls of a very nice house when she heard voices grumbling. She paused, looking down by her feet where a window was located. Elves, as far as she knew, didn't grumble. They were all eloquence and cultured tones, not this rough brogue with less than amicable overtones. The accents were wrong, they were rolling their R's for one thing and there was an excessive use of the terms 'wee' and 'laddie'; in fact they sounded almost.._crass_, next to the elves. She leaned over a little more to get a better look in the room.

There were four men in the room ranting to each other about green food and the high and mighty pointy eared; stocky figures that stood taller than the Hobbits but still greatly shorter than the elves and all of them were adorned with some of the most impressive beards she had ever seen. They were all huddled together in a group and looking at the room around them in distrust which made her have to cover her mouth to muffle her huff of laughter. They looked like they thought the furniture was going to eat them!

Horribly tempted to bang the window she moved back, deciding it was time to go back to her own room. It was late and she didn't want to startle anyone with her late night wanderings up and down the city. But before she turned the corner that would drop her out of sight, she picked up a nut sitting on a different window sill and pitched it to ricochet loudly in the bearded ones' window.

There was a calamity of sound behind her as four poofy beards tried to fit in the opening, shouting about assassins.

..o0O0o..

It wasn't quite the end of the world (no, that was still a few months away) but Lord Elrond of Rivendell was feeling the heat nonetheless. He and the Lady Galadriel were watching the future and the many paths that formed and crumbled as many different people's choices were made, the whole time very aware that all roads lead to Mordor. The world was changing, and the people who would play major parts in the coming struggle were beginning to gather, all of it hinging on the next four days where he had the sense something momentous would occur though he could not see exactly what.

Today the party from Mirkwood arrived, the son of Thranduil a bright light leaking over with curiousity and mirth wrapped in the composure taught to him by his father. He, along with the dwarves and the humans, were waiting for a summit called by Lord Elrond himself to discuss the dark happenings of their world and what would be done about it.

Gandalf was about somewhere, fully recovered from his stay at Isengard. Isengard. Elrond sighed; yet another ally lost. _Evermore the days grow increasingly darker._ He prayed for Estel's safe return, still traveling with the young Frodo's friends just outside the border.

Thoughts of Estel drew his mind to his daughter Arwen who had arrived hours after Frodo, telling him about the female that had carried Frodo into the city to deliver him into Elrond's care. He wondered about the slight figures prowess in battle, somewhat disbelieving of the feats his daughter had described. He'd asked for someone to bring the woman to him so that he might thank her for protecting the Hobbit but he'd been alerted to the fact that she had vanished quite completely. No one had seen her since the day she'd arrived. Though the story of how a sudden shrill blast startled those from Mirkwood when they arrived was interesting, no one even knew if she was still around except for the fact that all of her belongings were still in the room he had given her.

Odds were she was likely still there, just out of sight. He couldn't tell if she were hiding or just wandering around in less traveled areas. Some places didn't get as much use as others.

..o0O0o..

Beard twitching, he sighed in relief when he no longer felt the aches of recovering trauma thanks to his stay with Sauruman. Lord Elrond and his healing halls were a godsend and Gandalf both appreciate and greatly respected the skills utulized by those that worked in them. His robes were freshly laundered and his staff thankfully still in his possession as he walked through the natural beauty that surrounded Imladris. Gandalf smiled as a bird flew overhead and he followed an invisible path that would lead him to a little clearing he had found on his last visit, thinking he would enjoy the peaceful atmosphere for a while with his favorite pipe.

He hummed a little ditty low enough to tickle his throat, looking ahead as the trees parted to show the little glen he was aiming for. He paused in surprise.

Red and white gold skirt fanned out around her legs and leaning contentedly against the base of a tree sat Sakura, one hand running over something in her lap. She had left her hair down so that it spilled over her shoulders, the longer lengths of her bangs blending into rest and softening her appearance so that she looked almost innocent. Gandalf stared a bit as she quirked the smallest of smiles at whatever she was holding before looking up to meet his gaze, already aware of his presence. He started moving again when she beckoned him closer with a tilt of her head.

"You're late." Her voice was low and calm, and as he drew closer he realized she was holding a rabbit gently snoozing in the folds of her dress. "Or you're early, surely you can't be here when you mean to be, crazy old man."

He tried and failed to stop the instant bark of laughter at having his words mangled and tossed back at him. The rabbit twitched in her hands but didn't wake. Sakura's nails very carefully scratched the animal behind the ears.

"How are you Gandalf?" She asked him.

"Well, Sakura, I am well." He assured her, coming to stand by her side in the shade of the tree. "And I'm glad you are safe. Thank you for looking after Frodo for me. I know it was selfish to ask it of you."

"Not at all," she demurred, "he needed protecting. I may have chosen to look after him without your input." Exasperation crossed her face. "Merry and Pippin however, need more than protection to keep them out of trouble, they require divine intervention."

Gandalf couldn't help but chuckle over that and he made an agreeing noise.

"Very much so. Pippin especially. He descends from a long line of Tooks, a family that has never been short of mischief. Bilbo's mother actually is from the Took family line." He smiled when Sakura snorted.

"Explains a lot."

For a moment there was silence between them, comfortable companionship where neither felt the need to say anything. Gandalf watched as the rosette touched a finger to the rabbits nose and it snuffled in response. He smiled fondly.

"Sweet thing isn't it?"

"Yes," she agreed warmly, cupping its soft body with both her hands, "I was thinking about eating it."

..o0O0o..

Sakura wouldn't say she was cackling but it was a close thing.

Lifting the fluffy bundle, still out cold, she stood up. She looked at the wizards face and _almost_ lost the grip she had on her face. Gandalf had reared back, eyes wide, sputtering nonsensically at the affectionate (and completely morbid) comment. She moved a few feet away and deposited the slumbering bundle in a hidey hole in the base of another tree. She gave it a last affectionate stroke before standing and going back to the wizard, smile now slightly cracked showing teeth.

"I was joking," she assured him, heading away from the clearing and motioning the man to follow her, "it's impolite to make nice with something you plan to eat." _Sets a bad precedent, _she finished the thought to herself with wicked humor.

..o0O0o..

They didn't talk about much as they wandered the natural woodland, nothing important other than Frodo being on the mend and Gandalf dropping word that their host Lord Elrond wanted to meet her should she ever actually interact with the people living in Rivendell, to which Sakura looked slightly abashed. She'd forgotten her manners it seemed. He complimented her dress and how it suited her and she replied that it was different. Not bad, actually nice, but not what she was used to.

"I think perhaps you should enjoy it while it lasts," he encouraged the young woman, "There is no shame in enjoying yourself when you have a chance." A shadow passed behind his eyes as his voice lowered with somberness, "And any opportunity for happiness should be taken when the world grows more perilous with every passing day."

Sakura patted his arm reassuringly.

"I think so too."

Gandalf's expression relaxed once more though worry remained in the motion of his eyes and they walked in peace for a bit before Sakura asked him something.

"So what's going on?" She looked up at him, "There's something in the air and don't think I haven't noticed that it's not just worry for his safety that makes you want Frodo to wake up soon."

Partially affronted that she dismissed his concern for the Hobbit, he nonetheless tried to steer her away from her line of inquiry.

"It's nothing." He began, "it is just my concern about him bearing the Ring for any longer than he needs to. Until someone else is appointed to hold it, Frodo must carry the Ring; we can't afford to let too many people be affected by its corruption. And the sooner the better so Frodo can go home."

_Hmm,_ she rolled that around in her head. It rang with honesty but she could still sense the wizard's deception. _There is something happening that he doesn't want me to know about._

..o0O0o..

It was evening of the second full day of her stay in Imladris and Sakura was creeping through shadowed archways heading for a place she had found on her early jaunts around the edges of the town to familiarize herself with the area. The vast majority of citizens were in their homes either winding down from the day or already in bed, windows dark more than lit all across the square as she dropped behind someone's home heading for the sound of water falling. Above her the stars twinkled brightly in their universal ballet, glimmering in constellations different to but still just as beautiful as her previous world's had been and she admire them as they watched over her path.

She rounded a crumbling wall and followed the stone path to a dais suspended over the cliff side, a stone working that was both elegant and wondrous, built to withstand the elements and the test of time. It was several feet wide, good for long strides to eat up without making the walker feel like one wrong step would send them over, and all across it were complex, decorative inlays that curved and peaked, wrapping and twining around sharply pointed stars, all of which were so finely laid down they blended smoothly in with the stone leaving no ridge or dip to be felt. All of this was set to the back drop of a rushing waterfall where a rainbow could be made out from the mist.

Pleased with it being unoccupied she climbed the steps and walked to the center of the circle, checking behind her to be sure she wasn't followed. There was a touch of giddiness budding in her chest that made her grin, hair fluttering around the edges of her vision due to the gentle wind, and she did one full turn to see her skirt fan out impressively.

The dress was lovely, she reaffirmed mentally, and perfect for the dance she had learned early on in her travels.

In the first year or so of landing in Middle Earth, she had been taken in by a nomadic tribe a fair distance from Elvendom. They taught her their customs, their language, how to prepare their foods, and during the evenings the women taught her to dance. 'You need to dance to draw a man', they said to her, to which she never verbally contradicted, 'you need to dance to show your joy'. The women had said many things, but the one reason they gave for dancing out of many that she actually truly agreed with was, dancing was about _release_. Dancing was an application of skill and feeling, body and soul, and what they taught her she remembered. Even loved.

One foot in front of the other. Arms up, hands above her head. Clapping to set a beat because there were no drums, nor were there woodwinds to flavor the tempo or string instruments to add depth. One, two, .._three_. Hips, arms, the flare of her skirt. She moved.

Her head tipped back and to the side as she twisted her hips while her feet carried her in great turning circles. Her hands hit a hard note every time she hit a sharp turn to emphasize the change in direction, when her toes skimmed the ground kicking up the lengths of fabric past her knee. Her hands flashing out to catch and pull to make it flare impressively. Her long hair following behind her like a banner, longer than even the elves kept it; outside of its braid and without the cover of her cloak, it hung in a thick sheet to mid thigh. She slowed and rocked, a wave of motion that flowed from her hips to her shoulder, a move she was assured would attract even the coldest of men. To that she hadn't been able to hide her least attractive guffaw. Some of them laughed.

..o0O0o..

Legolas of Mirkwood, son of Thandruil, was following the oddest sound. It started like a cricket's echo, drawing his attention away from the book he was reading, outside in the night. Being curious, he'd listened to it and shortly realized that it was sounding off in quick bursts that made him tilt his head to hear it better. How strange. Putting aside his book, he got up to venture out to see if he could find the source of the sound he was hearing.

It was echoing, making things difficult. He paused again to close his eyes, concentrating. _There._ He went right and smiled as the noise got more distinctive. Someone was clapping. He put on a burst of speed and made a beeline for the drop off. He knew this city well and could maneuver it almost as well as anyone born here.

The air at the drop off was cool and carried with it the faintest misting of water. He liked waterfalls; natural beauty had many appeals, and a demonstration of both the delicate mist and the crushing strength of water was one of his favorites.

He looked around a wall and found the source of his mysterious noise. Brow canted upward in surprise he watched in silence as an elleth danced in no style he had seen before. Unbeknownst to Legolas, he had missed that 'man catching hip thing' by a few seconds and Sakura would be very, very glad for it. The elves struck her as prudes.

She was picking up speed he noticed, and her steps were getting more complicated; quick, short prancing and skips that quickly launched her up into a spin, then off legs half turn left while her upper torso went right before everything reversing. It was captivating and exotic, her skirts flaring and furling around her legs as she twisted them with practiced hands and the twisting turning motions of her legs. He thought the way the light caught and raced across the golden patterns tracing sleeve, collar, waist, and hem looked like serpents twining around her in sync to her rhythm, snakes enchanted to follow her every move.

Her arms were up now and clapping out a quick _onetwothree onetwothree_ while she swayed side to side, turning in a circle, head turned to the side and hair falling in a curtain behind her. He could not make out enough in only the moonlight from the angle he was looking but he wondered who she was for she was obviously not from Imladris; too different, somehow wild. She wasn't afraid to move boldly, she danced with profound feeling and it reminded him of blood rushing through veins, vital and bright. The deep red of her gown only emphasizing the impression.

She'd reached a point where she spun up on her toes at the center of the dais, skirt flaring up until it no longer touched the ground, the soft white and gold underskirt glowing dimly in the moonlight and her feets and lower legs bare to see. He stared as she spread her arms wide, like a flower blooming, then stopped on a dime, head back and facing the moon, hair and dress snapping in sudden cut off of motion.

He remained where he was, somehow reluctant to break the moment. But he must have made a noise, a sharp intake maybe, and the female's arm dropped and she whipped around, eyes zeroing in on him. His mouth dropped open in shock.

She did indeed have pink hair, like a pale blushing rose; he'd been so focused on her movements he hadn't paid any attention to her physical features, thinking her hair color had been a trick of the light. And her eyes..luminous green in defiance of the dark now that she was looking at him. She looked so surprised to see him but that was quickly wiped away by a smirk. She dropped a playful bow and when she rose her look conveyed mirth, before she took off quickly -_very quickly_- away from the dais and away from him.

..o0O0o..

_So much for not disturbing anyone,_ she thought to herself on her way back to her room, _at least it was only one. And one of the new arrivals at that_, she remembered with a tiny 'hee!' as she had the mental image of that one and the other three jumping when she made a sharp, shrill whistle when they arrived at the city center on their horses. She'd been up on the same rooftop as when she'd seen the human arrive and she'd been sipping at her wine when the impulse hit her. Civilization was so much fun when they couldn't see you.

When she got back to her room she would have to check that all of her things were gathered and ready to go. Gandalf had said something about Frodo waking up any day now.

..o0O0o..

Someone had been stealing from the kitchens.

Elrond frowned at nothing as he thought about his children before dismissing them. Elladon and Elrohir were only just getting back from escorting Estel and the Hobbits the rest of the way home so they couldn't have been up to their usual mischief. The human perhaps, but Elrond got the sense that Boromir felt himself above such behavior. He didn't even _want _to consider the Dwarfs; they would take anything he said as a grave insult if he weren't five times over careful when he spoke to them. He'd sooner accuse Frodo and _he_ was still unconscious.

Most likely it was Gandalf. The wizard had a nose for trouble and when necessary, a dab hand at remaining unseen. He'd have to have a word with him for dipping in the wine, the head cook was becoming concerned.

..o0O0o..

Day Three of their stay in Rivendel, and the Hobbits had finally arrived to Sakura's relief. She stopped lurking and made her presence known when word reached her that Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Strider reached the town safely and sought them out to make sure of their well being personally. The halflings greeted her enthusiastically, with hugs and wide smiles, and in Pippin's case a few badly hidden sniffles, which she gladly returned.

The dress of the day was green. Dark and deep with silver thread creeping along the shoulders and around her upper arms in the patterns of leaves and around her waist to dip to a point in the front where the material of her skirt again split to reveal another layer, this one in paler greens that shimmered. She chose to forgo shoes again, enjoying the grass and stone under her feet while she walked around with the Hobbits, listening to them tell her about the rest of their journey and asking her how hers went. They remarked on how fast she was and asked if she could do magic.

"I am no wizard I assure you." She laughed a bit, "I'm light on my feet is all."

Strider found her afterward and told her he was glad she was safe.

"Likewise." At his confused look, she explained the term which he found interesting and repeated so he knew he had it right. They fell into step together on the way to Frodo's room, news having reached both of them that the boy had woken.

"How has your stay been so far?" He asked her.

"Nice," she answered, "it's lovely here. Soothing. Do you spend much time here?"

"I grew up here." He answered with a soft look, peace. "This is my home."

"I see" and she did. He loved it here.

There was silence for a bit and she wondered about that. She was oddly at ease here, with Strider and Gandalf and the halflings. No matter how nice she could be, life on the move had taught her caution, which was not easily set aside. There was something disarming about the people she was meeting now. Like new comrades after bonding exercises, first barriers broken and now was the time for startling friendship to take root. She looked up at Strider's face and considered him.

He'd cleaned up well and was dressed in dark blues and grays, soft leather boots instead of the tougher versions he'd worn on the trek, and his hair gleamed from a good washing. His pale blue eyes stood out in relief.

Looking away before she was caught she recognized the hall they were traveling and pointed to a doorway.

"That's him." And they entered.

Frodo was looking at a mural on the opposite wall to his bed, expression considering, but when he turned to acknowledge them the look dropped away and was replaced with surprise and welcome.

"Strider, Sakura! I'm so glad you're safe!"

Strider and she both grinned at him as they drew up to the bed.

"I'm glad you're safe too," she replied, pleased with his recovery, "I was worried about you. Have you seen the others yet? They got in earlier today, I'm sure they want to see you."

"Gandalf and Sam went to go get them." He told her.

"Good." She nodded to his chest where he'd been stabbed. "How is it?"

Here, his face dropped a little, still tired and pinched.

"It hurts. Gandalf said it's going to get better but," Frodo looked upset, "it's not going to go away."

She pressed her lips together. She looked beside her to Strider who looked sympathetic and knowing, he'd known what the weapon was after all, then back at the depressed halfling, before sitting on the bed. She touched her fingers to the bandages over his wound and kindled a trickle of healing energy to seep into the bandages.

"It's not much," she said apologetically, not really looking at Frodo's growing look of stunned relief though she watched the way his chest rose with the first full breath he had taken since she and Strider had entered and the way his shoulders dropped with obvious relief, "but it will hold for a while, maybe another day, so you can breathe."

She hesitated, then pushed her fingers through his curls affectionately, giving him a reassuring smile. Frodo looked at her with amazement.

"Thank you," he stressed, his usual spark restored with his renewed (albeit temporary) good health, "it doesn't hurt anymore."

Out of her line of sight Strider shot her a narrowed look.

"Enjoy it while it lasts." She cautioned before rising from the bed and going for the door. "I'm going to go for now but tell the others I will see them later." And she swept out with Strider's eyes following her the whole way.

..o0O0o..

"Are you a wizard?" The question came from behind her.

"No, I'm not." She turned far enough to see Strider approaching from the opposite direction. He was carrying a book in one hand tucked up against his side, his steps a whisper against the ground while she stood silent in front of a female statue holding up the shards of a broken sword. Sakura met his eyes with her own. "I said I was a healer and I was telling the truth."

"No healer, not even the elves can remove the stain of a Morgul Blade." He replied softly, not pushing, but still searching.

"I didn't." She assured him, looking back at the shards, green eyes curiously bright, "I eased his suffering, a little thing. It's just something I've always been able to do." She picked up one of the broken lengths of metal as Strider sat close by, opening his book though he didn't look away.

Sakura traced the symbols that ran down the center of the shard, tilting it until the moonlight made them glow. It was so light for its width, barely a presence in her hand, but to her eye she could see the detail and how razor thin the edge still was. It was a finely crafted weapon that no doubt served its master well. Carefully she set it back in place, after a quick swipe of her sleeve to remove any prints, and stepped back. She lowered her head in respect.

"You show great respect for a broken blade." Strider's voice murmured.

"I'm sure it's more than that considering how the elves honor it." She moved away from the monument. She paused at his side to spare a glance at the book but not actually caring. "It means something to them, and as you grew up here, it must mean something to you."

Before Strider could reply, a sound drew their attention and they looked over.

The human she had seen arrive that first day was coming around the corner, his eyes checking out the murals decorating the walls. He had not seen them, but the angle he had come in at did not expose them even though they weren't hiding. His shoulder length hair slid across the material of his collar as he tipped back his head to examine the dark creature towering over a man holding up a broken sword. There was a little drop of his chin, a moment of relaxed posture giving way, when he turned and saw the both of them looking at him.

He sized them up in the same manner Sakura was sizing him up and Strider was infinitely calm in his seat not sizing anyone up or down. He did the double take on her but did not approach then looked over Strider who he gave a more perplexed look.

"You are no elf" he spoke to her companion, and only her companion. Interesting.

Strider was tranquil.

"The men of the south are welcome here."

"Who are you?" the man asked, now curious. Sakura felt the need to interject. She looked at Strider, a smirk stretching her lips.

"Yes, do fill us in," she snarked in the politest tone she had, attracting curiosity from the other one and surprise from Strider, "Your air of mystery is fogging up the hallway."

There was a _whuff_ just out of sight; the man had smothered a laugh. Strider gave her a look then directed his less tranquil gaze back to the man.

"I am a friend of Gandalf the Gray." _Yes,_ Sakura drawled,_ no one gives their name here._

"Then we are here on common purpose, Friend," the stranger acknowledged that and parried with his own. Sakura felt like applauding. Now he looked at her, a bit of a smile on his face. "And are you a friend?"

"I'm the Doctor" she answered, amused at the confusion on his face, "it means I'm an authority in the field of medicine. I heal the sick." she clarified.

"Really," he said, and to her surprise dipped his head in respect, "an admirable post. I respect you for it."

She smiled at him when he looked at her again, before nodding her head to the mural. He followed her gaze while she drew closer.

"Do you know this image? You looked fascinated when you saw it."

"The Fall of Sauron," he spoke, the title spoken with life long familiarity, "long ago, thousands of years, back when elves and men were friends and evil ran amok more openly than it does now, a great evil spread across the land. It touched everything, man and beast, magic and earth; and at its center was Sauron the Deceiver. He had made several rings of power as gifts for the leaders of all free people of Middle Earth. Three for the elves, beautiful, immortal, and wisest of all races. Seven he gave to the dwarf lords, great miners and rulers of the mountain halls, and nine he gave to the humans." Sakura glanced at him from the corner of her eye; there was a strange pause there and an absence of something. He was staring at the mural, smile still in place. She made a noise of understanding so he would continue. "These rings granted gifts or expanded on gifts already present in the bearer," his voice had taken on an ominous quality and when he looked at her, his face had adopted it too. She bit down on the urge to laugh and played along, "but they were all of them deceived. In the lands of Mordor in the fires of Mt. Doom, Sauron forged in secret a Master Ring. One Ring to Rule Them All.

"Then there came a war. A last alliance between men and elves to defend the lives of all free people." He went on, "it was a terrible clash and many died. But it was there that Sauron came forth with his mace and all his power, his Ring catching the light on his finger, and he killed the then king of Gondor, leaving his son Isildur, to avenge him. He took up his father's sword," he held up his hand like the man in the painting, "and cut the Ring from Sauron's hand.

"Evil was defeated, and driven back." He met her gaze with the story's affect still on him. "I'm surprised you asked. It is something everyone learns in childhood, the Tale of the rings of Power."

"I'm a foreigner," she explained, "and I travel constantly. I've had no time nor the company to learn the stories of this world." She turned around and led the way to the sword and the man made a sound of interest.

"The shards of Narsil." He murmured reverently, picking up the hilt.

_Narsil_. She watched him, a few steps back, as he did a slow left to right cut with it before running his fingers up the blade.

"Ah," he jerked his hand, blood welling up from the slice. He was stunned by the blade's condition, "it's still sharp."

She thought his moment of awe was charming, how much respect he had for history, but when he looked at Strider who had only watched in silence, she saw the flush of embarrassment and the blow to his pride that made him falter. His eyes shuttered.

"No more than a broken heirloom" he rushed, quick jerk of his hand to put the sword back. He let go but it was too soon and Narsil dropped.

Sakura's hand shot forward, catching it easily, fingers closed around the leather grip with familiar ease. She did what she had when she'd picked up a piece of the blade and ran the material of her sleeve over it, cleaning the man's prints away, before putting it back on the velvet cloth. She could feel eyes on her; startled, _aware_.

..o0O0o..

It was just a little thing. She could have made a lucky catch. There wasn't anything really impressive about it.

But no, Boromir knew very well that she had been behind him to give him room to look at Narsil without crowding him and he had still been blocking it when he moved to put it back. Yet still, she was at his side, hand closing around the broken weapon before he could register her moving at all.

He suspected she was an elf, or something like it, though she lacked the height the race was known for. He'd have mistaken her for human if her hair weren't so unnatural. Surely she was related to the elves in some way. It settled something in Boromir to have an answer for her, made him relax a bit.

_However that doesn't actually explain why she knows her way around a sword. Elves favor bows._ _And a short, light weight, female healer __**should**__ have had to adjust for balance for that catch, not pluck it out of the air by the grip as if it were just hanging there waiting for her. It was not grace, it __was though she were anchored to the floor and nothing could move her unless she wished it._

And that was his mind bringing the unease back.

The Doctor made no move to acknowledge his and the other fellow's staring, choosing to step back from the display on sure descending feet. She didn't look down once and when she reached the floor she stopped. Boromir wondered if _that_ was an acknowledgment.

"It is very late" she said, "and I have things to do in the morning. I hope you both sleep well." She bowed to the friend of Gandalf first, then to Boromir. She met his stare, eyes dancing, "Another time Storyteller."

And with a sweep of her skirt she left.

..o0O0o..

Day four, a white and silver/gray dress. No shoes, thanks. Frodo was up and about and obviously trying to get rid of her.

"We could see if there is anything the kitchens would be willing to give us," she said lightly, watching the way the Hobbit's eyes kept looking away from her, "you slept through breakfast and lunch is nearly over. Seems kind of pointless to interrupt the other's meal just for leftovers."

"Thank you," he tried, smile strained as he edged away from her, "but I promised Bilbo I would see him today and I wouldn't want to be late."

"Oh," she feigned understanding, "yes, wouldn't want to keep him waiting. Sure, you go ahead then."

Frodo looked so relieved.

"Maybe I'll come with you. Bilbo is good company."

The boy's face fell. He pulled his expression back together in a mish mash of nervousness, geniality, and badly assembled apology.

"Actually I was hoping to have a little time alone with Bilbo before we left since he's not coming with us." The hope on his face was dangerous to her health and she decided to let him go before she broke something holding back her cackle.

"Alright, alright; put that look away." She waved him along, lips wide in genial express, "Go see your uncle and I'll see you later."

His relief was palpable.

"Later Sakura!" And he took off, barely able to keep from running. Sakura covered her mouth with a hand until he fell out of sight and she had herself calmed down.

She took a few slow steps ahead.

"One-one thousand, two-one thousand," Frodo's steps broke into a run. Her smile turned predatory. "Three-one thousand."

..o0O0o..

She chose a point high up behind the dwarfs, based on several facts. For one, dwarfs were shorter than everyone else sitting, which meant that they would be looking up at everyone else: the elves, the humans, the wizard, which meant that their eyes would likely keep tracking up and any flutter that didn't blend in with the foliage would possibly draw attention. Their height also meant that everyone else would automatically look _down_ when they turned in the dwarf's direction, making it highly unlikely that they would think to look higher. For another, she knew the Hobbits were below at ground level trying to be sneaky and she didn't feel like giving them away or have her own presence be known by anyone attending, invited or no. Thirdly: she had been here last night, on the second tier of the gathering site with Strider and the Storyteller, making it likely that they would both be drawn to looking there, if only in passing, which made the second story an unwise hiding choice. Given that the elves, whose dwelling this was, were going for secrecy, they'd probably give every landing and doorway a searching look anyway. And lastly, her point of observation was one that no one but she could have reached. No stair, no gentle slope, no ladder. A vertical wall at all sides with an obscured view of her perch but unimpeded view of the meeting below for Sakura. She wanted to having every tactical advantage when the meeting started. There were too many secrets going around for her to be entirely comfortable with.

Frodo and Gandalf were the last to arrive and she could see the clear divide between the groups. There was no mingling of races for these people. Elves stuck to elves, humans stuck to humans with two seperating the elves from the dwarfs, and the dwarfs looked at everyone suspiciously. Sakura canted her head to the side as Elrond spoke.

"Strangers from distant lands. Friends of old." Lord Elrond was somber, and serious. "You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands on the brink of destruction, none can escape it. You will unite or you will fall." _Deep,_ Sakura thought wryly, _and to the point. I like it. _"Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom." He turned to face the halfling. "Bring forth the Ring Frodo."

Sakura was satisfied that she could hear them easily. Frodo rose from his seat, moving for the stand at the center of the circle where he placed the deceptively simple gold band. The group seemed to jolt into activity when the Ring was revealed, ignoring the halfling as he took his seat again, mutterings and furtive glances going back and forth within the miniature cliques.

Not for the first time she sneered at the Ring beyond the sight of others. No matter what kind of space separated her from it, how plain the band of metal looked, she couldn't stand the Ring.

She blinked in response to a _thump_ she felt in her bones, followed by an echo of heat across the surface of her mind. The hair on her neck rose at the faintest whisper of low murmuring on her ears, thrumming with darkness and promises of power. She hissed, jerking her head back in revulsion though she still heard the Ring. It whispered to her from far below about strength, the power to return home, the way to ensuring the safety of those she loved. She **hated** the Ring.

_I make my own strength, what power I have I earned. _The tendrils of influence the Ring was trying to root inside of her were shrinking away, fading from her mind as she reaffirmed her will. _I am not so weak as to fall for the promise of power like Sasuke did. I will not fall for empty promises made by one I know is evil and by doing so sacrifice all I could hold sacred. That is not my fate._

Her green eyes opening -she did not realize they had closed- Sakura let out a breath to see the Storyteller rise from his seat.

"In a dream, I saw the eastern sky grow dark" she watched him raise a hand to touch his forehead as if to dispell a headache. His voice was soft, hardly containing the personality she knew it could. The man moved forward slowly, reluctantly, drawn to the Ring, "but in the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying: Your doom is near at hand. Isildur's bane is found." Her eyes sharpened on him. His hand was lifting, he was going to pick up the Ring. "Isildur's Bane."

"Boromir!" Lord Elrond rebuked sharply, giving the Storyteller's name. Gandalr shot to his feet.

**"Haz naz im padur,"** boulders cracking against each other, the earth shaking with terrible force, the sky..shadows grew and darkened, casting everything in shadow as Gandalf's voice rumbled and cut with evil words backed by magic. The red bearded dwarf took up an axe while yelling indistinctly and the elves looked like they were in pain. Elrond covered his eyes and the blond she met two night's previous grimace as his eyelids fluttered shut. **"Haz naz im paduk"**

Storyteller, _Boromir_, backed down, drawing back from the stand and Gandalf drew his rumbling tirade to a close. And through it, Sakura saw that Frodo was watching the Ring.

"Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris." Elrond's tone was sharp, censuring to the wizard.

"I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond," the wizard replied, voice hoarse from using the unforgiving language. He lowered himself carefully into his seat as if it had taken something physically from him to speak. "for the black speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West."

Here the wizard gave Boromir an angry look.

"The Ring is altogether evil!"

She agreed completely.

"It is a gift." Boromir's fevered voice cut in, not deterred in the least. "A gift to the foes of Morder." He rose from his seat as the feeling took him. "Why not use this Ring?

"Long has my father the Steward of Gondor kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of _our people_ are your lands kept safe!" His voice was all confidence rolled in conviction. If it weren't for the pounding of instinct against what he was saying, Sakura would have believed he was speaking for a just cause. "Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy; let us use it against him!"

"You cannot wield it," Strider denied, belief backing his words, "none of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone; it has no other master."

"And what," Boromir asked, "would a Ranger know of this matter?"

_Interesting. _Down below the elf she recognized popped to his feet, scolding.

"This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn." She was a little distracted by how nice the elf's voice was but she wasn't so lost that she didn't pick up that _Strider_ had omitted his real name. The elf's words softened like he was pressing a gentle reminder on the man. "You owe him your allegience." _Hello, what?_

"Aragorn?" Boromir sounded stunned. He turned slowly to look at the man in question. His words were full of disbelief. "This is Isildur's heir?"

"And heir to the throne of Gondor."

This cleared up the questions Sakura had about what was so important about Strider (_everyone's got two names in this town. Might as well adopt a few more myself,_ was Sakura's sarcastic thought) and opened up another. Mostly about why Aragorn was hiding who he was and maybe why it bothered Boromir so much.

~Sit down, Legolas~ Aragorn sounded, waving his hand toward the elf to encourage him to listen. Sakura's head rolled to the other side as she watched.

Boromir's head turned back to look at Legolas before going back to his seat.

"Gondor has no king." A look in Aragorn's direction. "Gondor needs no king."

Gandalf spoke.

"Aragorn is right. We cannot use it."

_Duh._

"You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed." From the height she was at she could still make out the look on Lord Elrond's; stern, ageless knowledge, worry at the edges. He looked from one end of the gathering to another to impress upon those gathered that this was it and he was greeted with silence from all parties. All of them realized that this was what would be happening, they would have to agree for nothing else was feasible. One of the dwarf's moved.

"What are we waiting for?" He hefted his axe in a rush of movement and brought it down, startling Elrond into attention in his chair.

"!" Sakura jerked violently at the burst of malevolent energy the Ring gave off at impact, hands clenching into fists, swear words bitten off before they could form. The dwarf fell back, axe blade in pieces and the Ring still whole while the strange murmuring that crawled across the mind picking back up again. There was something _smug_ about the muttering now, amused by the dwarf's attempt.

Elrond spoke as the dwarf was helped up by his fellows.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mt. Doom. Only there can it be unmade." Elrond's words were fierce. "It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came."

Here, Sakura got a sense of foreboding.

"One of you," Elrond didn't disappoint, "must do this."

There was a long silence at this, heavy with things not said. None of the groups wanting to be the first to say anything but as the seconds dragged one of them couldn't hold in his words and Boromir cut through the quiet.

"One does not simply walk into Mordor." He started low. She saw the wizard shift impatiently in his seat, "it's Black Gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The Great Eye" his hand formed a circle and his tone became harsh, "is ever-watchful. It is a barren wasteland riddled with fire, and ash and dust." He shifted in his seat, meeting any eyes he could, "the very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this." He was shaking his head. "It is folly."

Legolas again rose from his seat, more scathing than he had been earlier when Boromir had sneered at Aragorn.

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed."

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it!" Gimli growled at the elf, drawing a flat look from the male.

"And if we fail, what then?" Boromir's voice was rising, also getting out of his seat, "what happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"

"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf!" Gimli roared, focused only on his opinion. He was up, glaring at the elf.

Sakura watched as chaos descended on everyone, people jumping to their feet to fling their words in each other's faces, shouting when they weren't heard. She watches as they shook fingers in faces, crowded each other, vented frustration in every direction. Even the wizard, she noticed, was gesticulating together with his angry words about how they were wasting time and they would all be destroyed. The elves she was most surprised at. With the exception of Legolas and Elrond, all of them were acting insulted and outraged, bickering just as much as man and dwarf. Elrond was shaking his head from his finely detailed chair, and Legolas, Legolas was trying to keep peace in the middle of the shouting match. Only Frodo was outside of the squabble, his brown curls keeping her from making out his expression at this angle. She thought to herself that there were too many strong personalities trying to work together, it happened when leaders of different groups came together for conferences. Too many egos, too much pride, not enough patience for opposition from similarly arrogant equals. Such clashes of leaders with their own agendas necessitated the presence of a mediator, a neutral party. Lord Elrond was trying, she knew, but his people were already represented and the bad blood she could see between them and the dwarfs was enough to render him fairly useless.

Lost in her musings, she noticed Frodo move; just in time to hear him say,

"I will take it!"

..o0O0o..

_No._

..00O0o..

The noise died down and slowly everyone turned to look at the halfling who met them stare for stare, shaken and afraid but set. To them he looked small. He _was_ small. And so young. Here was someone untested and afraid of what was to come, but in the presence of warriors and princes, he had made the noble choice that they themselves were too busy bickering about to make. It was humbling, it shamed them, and for Gandalf, it made him sad. The smile he turned on Frodo said everything he was keeping in.

"I will take the Ring to Mordor." Frodo repeated so that they all heard his decision. Through the sea of faces he saw Gimli's amazement and Stri.. Aragorn's considering stare. Frodo hesitated, "though... I do not know the way."

"You're going home!"

They all jumped and recoiled when a figure fell from the sky in a whirl of flashing gray and white silk directly in their midst. Several of them stared, blinking rapidly as a woman with pale pink hair stalked up to the hobbit and gripped him tightly by the shoulders.

"You nearly died on the way here to deliver the Ring like Gandalf told you to, and it was agreed that you would return to the Shire after your mission was completed. Well it's completed! It's their duty to see to the destruction of the Ring, not yours, you don't have to do this Frodo!"

Gandalf recovered first (though Elrond was rallying) and tried to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Sakura" but she wasn't having it, knocking his hand away without turning to face him, focus still on the hobbit.

"Frodo," she hunched down to look him in the face. She was suddenly struck by how innocent the bright blue of his eyes were, "listen to me; I said I would protect you, I would get you here and back again. I promised you Frodo, that you would go home."

"Sakura, I," the halfling halted, and she could see regret there. But it wasn't the regret she wanted to see. It was the sorrow of one who felt guilty for misleading her. "you saved me, thank you for that;" her heart constricted at the resolve, "but this is my choice. You don't need to look after me now."

Gandalf interposed himself in their dialogue, compassionate.

"I will look after him." He told her though she still didn't look at him. "I will help you bear this burden Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear."

"See Sakura?" Frodo tried to reassure her with a straining smile. "Don't worry."

"I will." she frowned at him. The grip she had on his shoulders grew painfully tight before she let go. His eyes went wide as she pressed her hands to the sides of his face. "I gave my word to look after you Frodo, and just because you're not going back to the Shire right away doesn't mean I can abandon you to your fate." She let go and stepped back. She narrowed her burning green eyes and lowered her chin in determination. "Until such a time as you see your home again, I will protect you."

He couldn't pull the words up but his gratitude for her company was plain to see and she didn't need him to say it anyway. Aragorn drew their attention when he came closer and kneeled before the hobbit.

"If by my life or death I can protect you I will," he took one of Frodo's hands as he swore, "you have my sword."

"And you have my bow." Legolas swore, coming to Sakura's side.

"And my axe." Gimli rumbled, hefting the weapon for emphasis. Legolas gave the elfish version of the long suffering sigh while Gimli rolled his eyes, grumbling.

"You carry the fates of us all, Little One." Boromir spoke warningly, crossing to the group. He looked from the hobbit to everyone gathered, "if this is indeed the will of the council..then Gondor will see it done."

"Ha!" came a shout from some shrubbery before a hobbit rushed around it to plant himself next to Frodo. "Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me." Sam said decidedly, arms folded over his chest.

"Think you're a squire now do you?" Came Sakura's sarcastic query. Sam looked up at her, scared of what else she might say, but nothing else was forthcoming.

"No," Elrond said to Sam, amused, "it is hardly possible to separate you two even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not."

"Pardon, Lord Elrond," Sakura interrupted. She looked away and barked, "Merry! Pippin! Stop hiding in the pillars and get out here!" Elrond shot a glower over his shoulder where she was looking while Sakura ranted under her breath, "god knows they'll follow us if we leave them out and get killed in horrible fashion. Why not bring them along? _Hobbits!..._"

The two hobbits in question appeared, running to land beside Sam and Frodo, and Gandalf raised merry eyebrows at Elrond as if to say 'why not it'll be good fun!' Sakura wanted to hit something. Someone.

"You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us." Merry proclaimed. _Is that all? Alright,_ Sakura thought.

"And you'll need people of intelligence on this sort of mission. Quest. Thing." Pippin nodded to his own words. Merry scoffed.

"Well that rules you out Pip."

Elrond looked on at the gathering of unlikely allies. Four hobbits, two humans, one wizard, one dwarf, an elf, and Sakura. He hummed bemusedly.

"Ten companions." He nodded. "So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring."

"Great" Pippin enthused. "Where are we going?"


	11. Chapter 11

Dear Readers, I am very happy to present for you, the eleventh chapter of "Vala of Changing Light"! It's been more months than I thought it would be and a shorter chapter than I'd intended, but these things take the time they take and I felt that where this chapter ended was right and now I can start working on the next one and updates for my other tales (but not today, I'm chilling today). I hope you enjoy and I look forward to hearing what you think! And as a side note...for all you Whovians...yes I did. :D

Oh yeah, HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Standard Disclaimer: Not my worlds, I'm just playing in them.

Vala of Changing Light

Chapter Eleven

Hating and Loving

After plans were made to leave at dawn, Sakura swept out of the gathering sight alone. She headed back to her room, suddenly uncomfortable in the clothes she wore. She tugged at the sleeve of her right arm and frowned. She didn't acknowledge anyone as she took different turns and ascended stairs, light golden from the setting sun.

Before this moment she had been alright with the beautiful clothes and the way her hair looked when she left it down. But the world had tilted on its axis and unsettled her when Frodo decided to take on a hero's destiny. The mission she had believed would be over soon was now looking like it would go on indefinitely and her charge heading strait for mortal peril. She didn't feel prepared in these clothes; she missed her boots and her leggings. She wanted her traveling clothes. She wanted, wanted, her cloak. Yes, she wanted her cloak.

She made it to her room and sighed, seeing her cloak spread across her bed sheets, picking it up. Beside it her clothes had been laid out in neat stacks along with her weapons and her pack, her boots on the floor by the bed. She was grateful for her host's thoroughness in that moment and started loading things into her pack, leaving aside a set of clothes to change into in a little while. She paused and turned a knife in the light and saw that the blade had been sharpened. A quick check revealed that they all had. Some of the discomfort disappeared.

"Are you alright?" She whirled to see Lord Elrond in her doorway. The brunette haired elf was looking at her with concern.

"I'm fine." she responded, pushing some of her hair over her shoulder. She offered him a bow that he returned before casting about for something to say. "Thank you for your kindness Lord Elrond and my apologies for not meeting you before. My only excuse is that I have been alone for a very long time and I've managed to somehow lose my manners along the road."

"Do not worry," he reassured, "you at least did not mean ill. The dwarf's for example, were deliberately trying."

Wow, she had not expected that from the head elf. He sounded almost exasperated.

"Yes," she agreed, "they seemed to be angry to be here though they came willingly. Is there a reason why?"

"The elves and the dwarfs have been at odds for hundreds of years. They live longer than man and have longer memories; there are some things they have not forgiven yet, though time nonetheless has worn away some of the hostility."

"It was worse?" Sakura asked sardonically. "That must have been difficult."

"They were." He assured and she smiled for him, lines of her face softening and he wondered at how old she could be for she was very young still. "You will have to ask Estel and Legolas for the stories. I would not have time to do them justice before you left."

Some of the cheer bled out of her face and she looked back to the bed and sorted her weapons away and some curious glass vials filled with powders and oddly colored liquids. There was a thinking silence from Elrond.

"You care a great deal about the halflings." He began slowly, and Sakura idly caressed one of the glass bottles before tucking it away in a padded pocket. "It upsets you to see Frodo put himself through this. There is no guarantee for his safety save for the words of others. You do not trust them."

"I trust no one." She murmured. "But it's not about trust." She faced him again, the weight of her fear plain on her face. And her frustration. "The hobbits are small. They're soft. For all that Sam is loyal and Frodo's heart is in the right place, and Merry and Pippin are game for anything, this is a willful disregard for their reality of being from the most docile race on Middle Earth. Frodo wants to charge face first into blood and death and certain doom!" in a blur of motion she palmed and flung a blade out, pinning a leaf to one of the walls that had drifted in. "It is _that_ easy to end a life and that is a mercy compared to what else could happen."

"You fear for him."

"Don't you?" She asked, brows drawn up, heavy hearted, "he should be going back to his hobbit hole and relaxing with a pipe of old Toby. He doesn't deserve this."

"But it _is_ happening." Elrond said gently, moving a little closer to the petite woman. "Frodo is the Ring Bearer. He will go into Mordor, enter Mount Doom and destroy the Ring of Power. With him he takes nine others to defend him, one of which is you," he reminded her when she sighed heavily, "he will be guarded by some of the best warriors each of the different races can provide, and friends that will support him when he falters." He lifted one of her hands, covering it with one of his in a comforting gesture. "You will not fail your friend."

Her slender fingers curled around his palm, hand dainty compared to his. He watched her face with dawning interest as emotions fell away one by one like chips of ice falling away from stone until all that was revealed was what she wanted. This was no release of worry, this was the efficient packing away of feeling so one could go about their mission with a clear head. She hadn't dealt with her fear, she had banished it.

"So long as I breathe." she swore. She pulled her hand away and shoved her hair back again. A thoughtful look passed over her face and she stared at Elrond. "Who is Estel?"

Elrond smiled, paternal affection plain.

"Estel is Aragorn's elvish name. I gave it to him when I adopted him as my son."

Surprise passed across her face then a smile that hiked higher on one side than the other.

"No wonder he loves it here," his head shifted to one side in curiosity, "he told me he grew up here. The love he has for this place is more than just for childhood shelter, he was loved here."

"Still is," he agreed. Turning he went to retrieve the blade Sakura had used, quietly taking in the ease with which she used her weapon. He made a mental note of how deep the knife was buried in the wall as he pulled it out and returned it to her, handle first. She accepted it back and tucked it into a seam of the bundle of cloth she was holding.

"Estel told me that you have a touch for healing" Elrond said, bringing up something he had wanted to discuss with her since Estel had come to him the evening before. His son hadn't been able to tell him much but what he could say was intriguing. "literally."

She smiled a bit at his wording.

"It is something I have always been able to do," she responded, "I generate a healing ..aura.. if you will, that I use to treat others. I learned how to harness it in my youth; I was," a quick calculation, "twelve I believe. I wanted to be a great healer."

"With a natural aptitude for it, I imagine you were destined to succeed." Elrond concurred. "Did you also receive training in more traditional methods as well?"

"Of course," Sakura's lips tilted up in the corners, "can't fix what you don't understand." A thought occurred to her and she held up a hand, palm up. "Would you like to see?"

Elrond was glad she offered -he couldn't quite find a polite way to request it- and relaxed a bit.

"Thank you, I would if that's alright."

"Only fair," she returned and with nary a twitch or focused gaze a green light bubbled up from her skin to pool around the appendage. It curled and flickered like flame, but almost lazy like gently running water, and it gave off a softly burning glow like banked coals. She moved a step closer so he could examine it.

"Amazing." He said, reaching up but not touching, satisfied to feel the slight buffet of air around it, "it's warm."

"It comes from within," she said, trying to explain, "a part of myself. The healing is actually my sharing a piece of myself to hasten my patient's body to rebuild." This earned a sudden sharp look from the elven lord that sparked some curiosity from her.

"Do you mean you willingly push your spirit outward to help others?" There was concern there and she found herself touched by it.

"It doesn't hurt Lord Elrond, and it's not dangerous." _Unless I will it,_ "I am not risking my soul, that I can assure you. It's as much physical as it is spiritual, and the two together are what create what you see. I can direct it outward and what, if anything, I allow in. Nothing can touch me this way."

Lord Elrond considered that for a bit, and Sakura took that moment to let a drop of that energy fall from her hand and splash across his own. He started when it hit, watched it sink under the flesh and pulse warmly as it absorbed, and he marveled at the sudden burst of _life_ he felt from it. There was a beat of a heart not in sync with his own in the energy, and the sense of things growing; breath and blood and continuance, bound together by a heart bent on healing the sick. Survival driven by the will to flourish. It was incredible. He stared hard at the point of contact as if he could still see the liquid light underneath before looking to her again, mightily impressed by her strange -but still so amazing- gift.

"You have been greatly blessed," he told her warmly while the light dimmed and faded back into her body, "and I am honored to have met you. It would mean a great deal to me to know your name my lady."

At this her face pinked in embarrassment and his own face pulled a little at how endearing he found her, flustered by a social gaffe. She bowed to him over the bundle of cloth still held in one arm.

"I am Sakura Haruno," she rose, "it is an honor to meet you too."

Elrond gestured to her arms where she held her cloak, changing the subject.

"Preparing for your journey?" he asked, to which she nodded, unraveling the spill of dark cloth. "If there is anything you need, we would be more than willing to provide it."

"Thank you, Lord Elrond," she said, turning to the bed, "but I have everything I need already. The offer is appreciated though."

Flinging the bundle in her arms out he saw a cloak spread out across her bed in a pattern he had never seen before. The lines it followed and folded over at were odd to him and carried almost nothing he knew pattern wise, other than being meant to hide any and all distinguishing features. He saw her move some things aside, her pillows, and pull out a sword to his surprise. A scimitarra, favored by the Haradrim of the south. He frowned at the blade.

"How did you come by that sword?" He asked Sakura, making her look up and take notice of his expression.

"I picked it up in my travels for protection." she answered, brow creasing in concern. She looked back down at it, "why? What's wrong?"

He moved to her side to gingerly pick it up.

"This sword was made by the men of the south, the Haradrim. They are enemies to the Men of the West." He told her.

"You mean enemies of Boromir and Aragorn right?" Lord Elrond nodded to this, pulling the blade free of its sheath when she gave her permission at his inquiring look, "do you think they'll care? I've not had trouble with it before and it's the only sword I have."

He examined the weapon carefully for a moment, thinking, before putting it back and handing it to her.

"I cannot say. I don't believe you'll have any trouble from Estel; Boromir however, you would have to wait and see." He looked thoughtfully at her. He seemed to settle on something. "Would you accept a different sword if I were to provide you with one? It would be no trouble."

"Oh," she looked surprised by his offer, green eyes widening slightly at his generosity. To her, a weapon was a precious commodity and one didn't just _give away_ a sword; but from her quick perusal of Elrond's features she could see he was perfectly serious about easing her way into the group and she felt a little warm and fuzzy about his consideration. She didn't want to give up her sword, she was a little attached since she'd had it so long, but she couldn't deny his logic in taking precautions. "That would be kind of you."

Elrond's mouth twitched into something like a smile, amused at her answer.

"Will you accept?" He inquired, not really addressing her statement, "I can have it brought to you shortly."

Sakura hesitated only a moment more before nodding.

"Thank you, Lord Elrond," she dropped her head in a bow, "for your kindness."

..o0O0o..

Sakura woke up early the next day, having indulged in a long bath the night before in a moping farewell to cleanliness, and once more donned the clothing she wore when she was traveling the wilds of Middle Earth. Everything had been cleaned and touched up, making the outfit she wore soft against her skin and comfortable. The deep blue of her top wrapped around her throat while stopping at her shoulders to leave her arms bare -while at the same time disguising the length of chain mail that she wore between it and a cotton shift-, and it was covered across her middle with the wide black leather of her corset, the detailing of butterflies and vines giving the leather definition and style while the deep blue appeared beneath the corset's bottom edge, falling down to her knees and tapering to a point at her knees. Her leggings were gray and loose enough to allow for maximum flexibility, tucked into the knee high dark gray boots she favored, with a higher than average heel and reinforced by thin metal plates over her shins hidden in the leather, lacing up in the back rather than the front like she had seen the elves and men wear.

She grinned at the small arsenal of soap she'd nicked from a supply room, tucking it into a pocket of her pack next to her stash of medical supplies.

She sat at her vanity, hands behind her head while she wove the lengths of her hair back into the braid she preferred when she traveled. Eventually she got it long enough to work the rest over her shoulder, long bangs -longer on one side of her face than the other- framing her face as she tied off the end, tossing the plait back. She checked herself in the mirror. _Good as it gets_, she mused, picking up and strapping on the new sword Lord Elrond had had delivered to her room the evening before. The blade was curved like her scimitarra but not as severely, and it had no guard, and the handle was brown with gold inlays of vine and leaf. Sakura positioned it across her back like the last one and practiced drawing it a few times before she was satisfied that she could do so as easily as with the previous one, arm a blur of motion whipping forward and back with the song of metal.

It was still dark out but the sky was lightened above the swaying leaves still holding on in the changing season. There was the bite of coming winter in the air and she picked up her cloak, fingers running across near invisible designs sewn into it, before shrugging it over her shoulders and pulling it closed in the front. With deft hands, she tugged, tied, and tucked at the fastenings and loose ends until she was once more hidden in the semblance of shadow. She closed up her pack and shouldered it. The weight was grounding, centering.

_Her mission had not changed, only the duration. She would look after Frodo and see that he got home safe._

She exited the room by the door and made her way down to the meeting point so she could attach her things to the horse and maybe explore a bit before the time came to leave. She'd have to thank Elrond for the weapon provided when next she saw him too, but first a last look around.

..o0O0o..

Sakura remembered this one, the female elf that had helped get Frodo to Rivendell with herself. This female showed amazing spirit in the face of terrible odds and the fire she recognized in the elleth's eyes was one she respected, but right now there was only an intense but quiet sadness there mixed with embers of willfulness. She wondered what could have happened recently to put the elleth in her somber mood.

"Are you alright?" she asked the woman as she moved out from the trees. Concern for the female was enough to keep her from taking amusement from startling an elf.

The lady gave her a gentle smile, turning to her.

"Yes, there is no need for concern" the elleth assured Sakura who paused a few feet from her. The elleth collected herself. "I apologize but I never did give you my name; I am Arwen Evening Star, I am Elrond's daughter."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Sakura offered the elleth a respectful bow. "I am Sakura Haruno." Her brow crinkled. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes," the elleth said again, gentle amusement at the question, "I will be fine. I was only thinking." Arwen said, looking away. She heaved a sigh. A light went on in Sakura's mind.

"Dangerous thing, thinking." She said lightly, digging in one of the hidden folds of her clothing, "gets you into trouble, soon you start getting _ideas_." She shuddered, making Arwen smile, "and next thing you know you're running from villagers who are shouting about ten pins." Sakura made a noise of triumph, revealing a square of paper. "Myself," she started folding pieces of it around. Arwen, curious, drew closer to see, "I would ra-ather" quick, nimble fingers twisting here and there, "be kissing frogs to find a prince," she held up the finished product proudly, "than listening to sore losers."

A tiny paper frog. Arwen blinked.

"Hold out your hand." Sakura urged gleefully. She waited until the elleth's hand was opposite hers, held flat as her own was, then with a finger pressed the lower back of the frog. Her finger slipped off in a flick of movement and the frog 'hopped' from her hand to Arwen's.

Arwen burst into surprised laughter, lighting up her face and dispelling her somber mood. Sakura grinned, glad she could help. She watched Arwen experimentally mimic the action, and laugh again when the frog bounced toward her wrist, not enough power to get out of her palm. Sakura took a moment in Arwen's distraction to really look at her, having not done so before. She thought about Aragorn and she could see it -not just the fair, elven elegance and eternal grace- but what he saw when he looked at the elf, and it made Sakura smile to see it too. When her face cleared of sadness and nothing troubled her, Arwen _shone; _she was beautiful, not just in appearance but personally. Honestly her joy changed everything about her and once you saw it, you couldn't miss it, the fact that she was radiant beneath the surface, lovely though she already was.

A giggle brought her out of her musings. The elleth was smiling wide, charmed by her little bit of fun.

"I've never seen this before," her eyes met Sakura's, blue irises dancing, "where did you learn to make these?"

"My mother taught me when I was a girl." Realizing that they had both hunched forward to watch the frog, she straitened up, her own mood lighter than it had been. "It's been a long time since I've made anything but I thought you could use some cheering up. A frog prince to brighten your day while your real prince is being stupid."

Arwen's expression broke into shock.

"I didn't see anything," she assured, "however, I couldn't help but notice that you look like someone had disappointed you. A certain too-noble prince, yes?"

The elf maiden's face gave her away.

"Did he try to convince you to break ties with him?" Again, a wide eyed stare of great surprise, "That it wasn't working out, what you have between the two of you?" A slow, hesitant nod. Sakura gave the female a lopsided smile, "not hard to guess. Aragorn/Strider/_Estel_/High King of the Beardless Wonders," snort, "whatever you call him, he's trying to do the _noble_ thing," the near sneer when she said 'noble' gave Arwen a healthy clue to how Sakura felt about that, "by driving you away he's hoping to protect you. Honorable," Sakura said flatly, "but unfair. Being in love does not give him the right to manipulate you into making bad decisions.

"He's pulled the oldest trick in the book," confusion; not a term the elleth knew, "means he's not the first man to do this to a loved one and he won't be the last. What you have to keep in mind Arwen," she tapped the little frog to get a smile from the elf again, "is if you are going to let him get away with it."

..o0O0o..

Sakura found herself perched on top of a spire overlooking the gathering site, crouched low on the narrow point she stood on, once more like a bird of prey as her mind organized itself. Her pack was already hitched to the pony and her compatriots were starting to appear one by one. The elf came from out of an alcove with his bow across his back and two crossed knives with white handles. Legolas (she remembered) was looking around, likely for the others, but couldn't see her from so far below. She watched him attach his gear to the creature for a moment before directing her attention elsewhere, sunlight only just reaching far enough to touch the crown of her head at this angle. Her hood was around her shoulders so she could enjoy the morning light and an unencumbered view.

She had left Arwen to think with her new 'friend' not that long ago, stopping only once in the kitchens to liberate a last container of wine and converse a bit with the cooks who asked her if she had seen the Wizard wandering nearby, to which she replied no. She'd hidden the jug in the folds of her robes while she wondered about her new acquaintance's choices. _May I not have done more harm than good when all I wanted was to cheer her up._

Wind rustled her on her perch but she did not sway. Standing tall Sakura soaked up the faint heat that came from the rising sun, eyes closed and face relaxed in a stolen moment meant to be held close. She sighed as the light sent prickles of warmth across her skin while the wind, contradictory, brushed a chilled kiss over the warmth. Opening her eyes she dropped sharply, heedless of gravity or danger, and made her way to the ground.

Passing around the building she had been lurking on she saw the hobbits arrive from her left out of Lord Elrond's home carrying their gear in both hands. Merry and Pippin were chattering at the front, lighthearted as always while Pippin nearly went sailing head first over his pack when he tripped over his own feet, the grace of god the only thing keeping him upright. Merry checked him over quickly, the action smooth with experience, and laughed at something Pippin said. They looked back and she saw Sam and Frodo following behind them and this is where she made her entrance.

"Sakura" Pippin greeted her in high spirits, the trip ahead nothing more than an interesting adventure to him still, and she didn't feel like disabusing him of that yet, "did you sleep well? We weren't sure where your room was, otherwise we would have come to see you."

"Don't worry about it" she assured the halflings, touching shoulders as she passed by him and Merry and drawing up to Frodo, "I was up just before the sun so there would have been no one to see."

She looked down at Frodo who met her eyes with feigned confidence. She nodded to his wound.

"How is it?"

His smile became more genuine as he expressed his gratitude, Sam smiling too as Frodo had explained to him what Sakura had done for him.

"It's fine. It's like it's not there at all."

"That's good" Sakura said. Her eyes looked him over, one of her oldest habits, just to be sure. His face was flushed with good health, and he looked well rested, which was a relief to her after the harrowing ordeal of getting him here before he died, but there was a line in his shoulders that she didn't like. He held them carefully but she didn't think he actually knew he was doing it. The hobbit said it didn't hurt and she believed him, but that didn't necessarily mean he wasn't uncomfortable. Likely the entry site was starting to feel tender which meant that what energy she had left behind was wearing off. Not wanting to draw attention to it, she clapped both of them on the shoulder and summoned up the same energy she had shown Lord Elrond and delivered a small load of pain killer to the hobbit's wound that would see Frodo through the day.

Immediately Frodo's shoulders relaxed, his breath getting a little easier. The surprise on his face was gratifying and she left them to converse between themselves while she made her way back to the pony.

As the morning light spilled more readily between the spires high above, the rest of their companions made their way to them while elves started appearing to see them off. The elf of their Fellowship, Legolas, seemed curious about her but she gave him no thought as Storyteller arrived and gave her an acknowledging nod, the short, bearded fellow close on his heels with his own party rumbling lowly to each other. The sight of them had her biting back the grin that threatened to cover her face. Instead she looked around for the wizard, wondering where he could be, and found to her surprise the figure of Arwen drawing up to her. Sakura summoned up a smile for the elleth, wondering what type of greeting she would get from the female.

She needn't have worried for when Arwen drew even with her, her face was gentled with ethereal friendship. The elleth smiled.

"So you are loyal as well as kind" Arwen said to her, light catching on the silver circlet in her hair, lightning flare in earthen tresses, "Frodo will be in good hands."

Sakura's smile became wry, her sense of humor bleeding through.

"Hopefully more than just mine. He'll be hard to juggle with a sword," A familiar whuff of noise let her know Boromir had heard her and was as equally amused as he had been the night they'd first met, "but I will do my best for him. I keep my promises."

The elleth smiled and the flickering of her eyes to the side and back let Sakura know a tiny bit about Arwen's thoughts. She watched, inwardly pleased, at the way Arwen tilted her chin up just so; the fire was back.

"As do I."

Sakura did not need to look to know that Aragorn was meant to hear the elleth's words. In the company of so many people she refrained from drawing any undue attention to Arwen's comment, choosing instead to bow like she had seen done here to the elf with her hand pressing briefly to her heart before drawing away. When she came back up, Arwen was there, eyes alight with good humor.

"I enjoyed meeting you Lady Arwen" Sakura said, meaning it, "maybe someday we can sit down together and really converse as friends."

"After your journey" Arwen ventured, her gentle smile widening into a grin, and she reached to take Sakura's hands, "I would enjoy that. Go with the grace of the Valar, Sakura Haruno, and my prayers for your safety."

The elleth let go and moved back from her to join the wall of her kinsmen, serene and beautiful. The prickling of her senses let her know that she was being stared down by someone and when she turned to look she wasn't really surprised to see it was Aragorn. The Ranger was looking at her, blue eyes narrowed into a hard look, like he couldn't quite figure her out. She gave him nothing, choosing instead to check that her hair was still in it's braid and that the tie was firmly knotted. She knew she looked odd compared to everyone else in her cloak with her begone-from-me air and general sense of does-not-belong, but she didn't really care; she came from another place where being unlike anyone else was the thing, not to mention the time she spent wandering this world alone had left her -as she'd hinted at with Lord Elrond- a disregard for proper conduct as defined by those that dwelled in the West.

She was what she was and she wasn't apologizing for it.

"The Ring Bearer is setting out on the quest of Mount Doom," Elrond's voice cut into her musings, making her focus on the moment. The focus of the elves were on their group with not a few curious looks being shot at her in particular. She was indifferent, not blind. Her fellow companions were drawing themselves up to appear confidant in their mission though to Sakura's eyes, Frodo and his kith and kin looked small and breakable. "And you who travel with him no oath nor bond is laid to go further than you will." Elrond met each pair of eyes, solemn, "Farewell. Hold to your purpose. And may the blessings of elves," He looked to Legolas, "and men," Boromir, "and all free folk" and Gimli, "go with you."

The wizard moved and spoke, voice the aged rumble of ceremony, separated from Sakura by Aragorn and Boromi,

"The Fellowship awaits the Ring Bearer."

And that was it for the leaving ceremony. Frodo took an uncertain step and they filed out in silence except for a question that Frodo probably thought no one but the wizard would hear that made Sakura give one last lighthearted smile before that too melted away, leaving behind nothing but somber lines on a face that was more suited to smiles than the blank canvas she affected. The weight of the sword against her back was a comforting reminder of her own strength as she followed behind everyone, Bill the pony on her left as they trekked through the fall leaves and dappling sunlight. Soon enough, she knew with grim certainty, she would need her weapons.

Looking up she took silent measure of her companions for this mission and wondered about them; which of them would make the return trip, which of them wouldn't finish the first one?

She looked back once to burn the image of Imladris into her mind, then patted Bill's flank as she resumed her march. Sakura was at least sure that she would return; she was going to return Frodo to the Shire after all. She'd promised.


	12. Chapter 12

Hello all! Welcome back, there's just a little blurb here before we get on with it. Tie in: why you anonymous post? So furniture-gnawing to not be able to reply when I can't address your query to you. (Shakes head) Anyway, my blurb. A guest reviewer raised issue with Sakura's height, thinking I had shifted her size to four and a half feet tall, and found this cliché and overdone. Here is the reply I drafted and could only respond with here:

(flat look) in regards to Sakura's height and your pet peeve, Sakura **is** five to five feet-two. I am working in movie-verse (book-stuff **only** dribbling in on the edges) where, in the second movie extended edition, Merry and Pippin are stated to being 3'6 to 3'8 feet tall. This puts Sakura, a foot and a half taller than hobbits, just at or over five feet. In regards to the 'childlike boot size', this is a lot like illusion. Part small feet, part optical illusion; she wears a large cloak, her boot style is slender and close fit. I could have easily said 'dainty' but I didn't. In Middle Earth, men are rather tall, elves taller still, hobbits are the shortest, dwarrows are next, and if you go off the book, there's really no one between 4'8 to 5'9 tall adult wise. The movies (where I parked my bike) give some leeway to this but for the most part, this is still the truth. Going by this, to Aragorn, Sakura would appear childish in size, he would have had to really see her to say anything else and she was wrapped in her traveling cloak at the time this comparison was made so he wouldn't classify her elsewise.

I realize these are not details included in the story. These are the things that go on behind the curtain, where I world warp in peace. I would like to say, in a fit of pique more than anything, that there is nothing wrong with being a short adult. I'm 5'7, tallest female in my family, many of whom are Sakura's height and lower and they are scarily fierce and, to me, a viable height for an adult.

If you continue to find odds and ends that shake up your enjoyment of VoCL, you are welcome to go on your merry way, no insult taken, no harm done. If you choose to keep reading, and risk possibly wandering into other things you might not like, I can only say: you ain't seen nothin' yet.

It's fanfiction, the random realignment of the universe is inherent in the genre.

I admit to being grumpy about it. I make no apologies. Not everyone's gonna like what I'm gonna write and I accept that; I can be as grumpy as I like, they're my feelings.

Now, before I start ranting like my inner drama queen wants (and she's waving that scepter like it's about to go out of style), let's get on with the show!

Chapter Twelve

Leopard Lionne

There was nothing more familiar to her than the journey. The coming and going of new destinations, the way the world changed as distance gave way to different lands; the sense that there would always be something to see everywhere she went. Sakura was a creature of the open skies and endless paths, and it could be said that it showed most plainly in the way she seemed to _melt_ into the environment until no one could separate her from it. Indeed, on the morn of departure she had drifted back in careful silence until she could not be seen by her companions and, with a twist, vanished into the shadows. All of which was done so masterfully that no one noticed right away.

The somberness of their departure did not shake loose until after they had exited the Valley of Imladris, taking the same path as Bilbo had during the Quest for Erebor, something Frodo shared with the group as they passed by a waterfall on their way out. Sakura had heard of the Quest for Erebor from the hobbit himself during her stay; she now understood about the trolls. It reminded her of her own journey across Middle Earth and she felt a bit of kinship with the old hobbit for being brave enough to explore where he'd had no familiarity. It was heartening to know that hobbits were the adaptable sort; maybe Frodo and the others would not be so endangered while out of their depth.

Sakura was following along in the trees, silently wandering up and down the trunks while she listened to the hobbits below her asking innumerable questions of the other members of the Fellowship. Pippin was by far the most inquisitive as he turned his head left and right as his attention bounced from one companion to another, throwing questions at everyone enthusiastically. She was glad she was not down there amongst them being interrogated so thoroughly; she would have hung him from an overhanging branch out of irritation.

..o0O0o..

The group set up camp as the sun started to set in the distance and Sam lit up a small fire. He looked curiously out into the encroaching dark.

"Where do you think Sakura went?"

Merry looked around as well, just now realizing the female had slipped away. Pippin was sneaking the last tomato out of Sam's pack.

"When did she leave?" Merry questioned just as Gimli approached the fire. The dwarf grumbled.

"Probably fell behind sometime this morning. I haven't spotted her since dawn."

"You're opinion of my endurance is quite low." Sakura's voice came from the trees. When they looked over, Sakura was carrying a large, bloody bag in one hand and a length of recently cleaned and treated animal fur in the other. Her expression was satisfied, easing the somberness to something less harsh on her features. She wandered past men and elf both to kneel next to Samwise and revealing her catch.

Thick, juicy slabs of blood red meat were carefully arranged in the sack to make the best of the space available; it looked like it could feed all of them easily. The hobbits gathered around as Samwise ran a curious finger over a slice.

"I'm not familiar with this meat. What did you catch Sakura?"

Aragorn and Boromir hunkered down to take a look themselves, but it was only Aragorn who knew what they were looking at. He gave the female a surprised look. The fur rolled up under one of her arms only made him more certain of it.

"A mountain lion?" Aragorn asked before thinking about it.

Sakura unrolled the fur to show how large the animal had been even as she looked to Frodo to size him up. The fur was thick but short, and a pale yellow that was nearly a creamy white.

"The lion to feed us while the fur would be handy in making Frodo a warmer cloak." She glanced at Samwise again, "Maybe you too. I can catch something else in the coming days so that Merry and Pippin won't be without either."

"You don't have to do that." The hobbits said but Sakura waved them off.

"It's going to get cold soon. In a few weeks at best, but really, we're looking at days. It's better to be prepared." She informed them as she settled herself on a rock, pulling out a soft leather bundle. When it unraveled in her hands it revealed itself to contain a set of scissors, needles, thread, and little bits and bobs for needlework. She looked up at Pippin who was peering over her shoulder in curiosity. "Lend me a hand Pippin?"

"Sure." the hobbit said gamely and Sakura directed him on what to do while the rest of the group looked between her and the meat before getting on with business.

That night something fell out of the tree Frodo was resting under, startling everyone in camp until they realized it was some of Sakura's lion pelt, cut and sewn into a hobbit sized cloak. A noise from Sam had everyone looking to see the rest of the fur being pulled off his head where it had landed, scaring the wits out of the gardener.

It was two days later when Sakura had another length of fur and bag of bloody meat in hand, followed that night by two hobbits jumping as each were hit in the back of the head by brand new fur cloaks, this time a golden brown rather than crème.

She was carving something out of bone the next they saw her.

..o0O0o..

Sakura spent the next three days in silence as the Fellowship moved out of elven territory, keeping to the back of the group and almost dropping out of everyone's thoughts, reminding them of her existence only at night when they they stopped to rest and she stalked through camp to ruffle Frodo's hair, straiten his cloak, and climb into the nearest tree where she seemed to melt into the dark. The Fellowship were all a bit flummoxed by her behavior, especially those who had seen how she had been when in the elven city of Rivendell; Boromir especially, recalled the wry sense of humor that defined the unusual female during their encounters. He liked her to his chagrin, not having expected to _like_ much of anyone on this trip. Get along with someone, sure, it was politics after all; the good graces of outside kingdoms was never a bad thing. But to meet someone that he genuinely wanted to spend time around was not what he was expecting. He'd even been _looking forward_ to this in her case.

But so far she'd done an amazing job of being invisible and untouchable, he was questioning what he'd seen so far.

Even the wizard seemed a bit flummoxed by her behavior and the silence wouldn't be broken until one evening where a single oblivious hobbit decided his questions could wait no longer.

"Are you sure you aren't magic?" The little figure asked when he popped up by her side. Sakura looked down at him in surprise, finding the question odd until he clarified, "you followed Frodo when we couldn't. I've never seen anything like it! Fast as the wind you were."

She smiled at Pippin, understanding. The rest of the Company had tuned in to the conversation, tension leaking out of their figures now that one problem was solved and curiosity set in. A minute ripple went across her cloak in the breeze and she swept her bangs out of her face.

"Not magic Pippin" she assured the hobbit as he fell into step with her, "I think I said so back in Rivendell once everyone was safely within city limits. Something to that affect anyway."

"But then how did you do it?" He persisted from her hip, brow scrunched in confusion, "Merry was trying to figure it out but he kept tripping when he tried to sprint in his cloak."

"_Hey!_" Came from the red faced Merry.

Pippin ignored the shout and everyone else failed to hide their mirth.

Sakura looked at Merry and laughed; the hobbit looked so embarrassed.

"You know, the way anyone else gets really good at something." She told him coyly, before a flare of her cloak hid her sudden movement and it looked like she vanished, only for the group to hear her on the other side of the fire next to Merry, telling them the answer to her cheeky non-answer, "Practice."

Merry jumped a foot in the air at the voice over his shoulder and Sakura laughed brightly.

"Can anyone become as fast as you?" Sam asked from where he was passing out metal plates with meat and bread. His tone was curious. Her smile took on a wry look, one Boromir recognized the second it crept across her face and his attention shifted fully to her.

"I don't know. I've yet to meet anyone who can." She replied easily, the hood she wore to distort her features cast all but her smile into shadow.

..o0O0o..

Amusement filtered through her as she fingered a throwing knife hidden in one of her sleeves. They had hunkered down for the night and she was on third shift, having taken over for Gimli several minutes back. She tracked the sounds that the wind brought to her and kept her eyes off the fire. The others slept, their bodies like little hills covered in a combination of traveling capes and scratchy blankets to keep out the chill.

The round of questions from Pippin had been followed by all members of the Fellowship, everyone having at least one thing to ask her. Is the pink really natural? Where are you from? How old are you? How did you catch the mountain lion? Your _bare hands?!_ And on it went, a spat of lighthearted bickering from the hobbits, "her age? Merry, please, she's too young for you", had Merry and Pippin rolling around on the ground making the rest of them laugh and forget that she hadn't had a chance to answer before another question filled the space.

A small huff of laughter left her, slipping her knife back into place. A voice from the slumbering group had her turn her head to see Boromir approaching her. She smiled at him and gestured to the empty patch of grass next to her.

"Doctor." He said with a half smile she could easily make out in the dark. She had excellent night vision after all.

"Well met, Storyteller," she said softly so as not to wake the others, "I would not turn away such an excellent font of information."

"Charmed." He said dryly as he sat, settling his cloak around her, "So glad to be of service."

They chuckled together and relaxed in their seats.

For a little while they simply sat in silence. The night sounds lent the moment an air of peace, at odds with the danger that followed them, and was very pleasant.

"Winter is coming." Boromir said, scanning the dark with his eyes, "The hobbits will appreciate the fur you gifted them twice over in the next few weeks. I'm still a little in awe," he shook his head, "at the sheer size of the lions you killed."

He saw her teeth gleam white when she grinned.

"It was good hunting, I admit, but they are not the largest creatures I've chased down for food. The bears of the Forodwaith reach nearly fifteen feet tall and their claws are longer than my forearm. The first time I saw one my first thought was 'he is going to make a nice coat'."

Boromir's brow was quirked high. Sakura kept talking.

"It was when I was tracking my first bear that I met the people who dwelt in the frozen tundra. They were on a seasonal hunt for snow leopards two weeks journey from home and I offered them shelter in the igloo I built."

"A what?" Boromir asked.

"Ah. An igloo is a dome of square ice blocks that block out wind and allows a small fire to burn in a pit dug in the ground in the center of the space inside. My igloo was large enough to house the hunting party and myself comfortably for the week they were in the area." The sound of nostalgia crept into her voice as she remembered that phase of her life. "When the week was over and it was time to return home, they took home five leopards and two bears. The bears were from me since they invited me to join the hunt, which I was flattered to accept. The next time they came through they had permission from their chief to ask me if I wanted to see their home and I said yes."

"What was it like?" Boromir asked curiously, turning in his seat to better see her.

Even in the dark, her eyes shone with happiness.

"Great. Their homes were made of wood and ice and stood one to three stories tall. The people moved large cargo with great furry oliphaunts called mammoths, and large wolves pulled sleighs that individuals used to get between towns."

"They sound like fearsome beasts," the Gondorian man said. Sakura shook her head.

"No doubt they could have been, but the people treated them so well and the animals had such mild tempers, I often saw children playing with both when the work was done." Sakura had a fond memory of running with the wolves as children cheered behind her, leaping up and down as she smoothly hopped onto the back of the lead wolf and steered the pack into a merry chase in the snow.

"Do you miss it?" He asked.

"Oh, sometimes." she affirmed, "I wasn't there very long. I stayed long enough to share medical tips and take notes on their medicinal plant life,.. learn the language,.. before it was time to go. But I enjoyed my time there. The people were kind."

"Yes," he said, looking down in his lap, "Kind people are hard to come by."

"Not really," she disagreed, nudging him with her shoulder, startling him, "it's more about being kind yourself. People respond when you treat them with equality. People only need the opportunity to show compassion, which you have to be willing to give them for it to work." She turned those shining eyes to him. "Kindness can change the world."

Boromir felt paralyzed by those green, green eyes. A part of him realized that this was the first time since they left Rivendell that she had taken off her hood, showing off that petal pink fall of hair and allowed the moonlight to reflect off her eyes; that had to be why the green seemed to glow in the night.

The moment passed when Sakura looked away at a sound in the woods but she didn't look worried. He saw something move in the dark but it wasn't very large.

"Fox." She said, tracking it. They watched until it left. Boromir took a moment before speaking again.

"What made you leave the Forodwaith?"

"Nothing really, except for the desire to travel. The world is vast and there are so many things to see and experience; I want to see everything I can." He heard her laugh a little, "I was actually on my way to see the ocean when I ran into Gandalf. I'd never seen it before."

"And now here you are," Boromir said lightly, gesturing grandly at the clearing their group slept in, "sitting in the dirt in the middle of nowhere while on your way to the breeding ground of true evil. Truly, you are every bit as reckless as the rest of us to go on this fool's quest."

Sakura nudged him again, almost sending him into a tree trunk, much to her amusement.

"The gods favour both the foolish and the brave, Storyteller." She watched him readjust himself in his seat, "We are both, so we must be doubly favoured." Boromir looked thoughtful. Sakura leaned back into the rock she was sitting before. "And whether or not we are being reckless can be decided after we return victorious."

Boromir had to grin. They spent the rest of the watch quietly conversing, forming the first bond she had within the group.

..o0O0o..

After three-ish weeks of traveling, they came upon a resting spot on the path to Rohan. Everyone had spread out along the little clearing, resting their feet and waiting while Sam cooked up the last of the meat; dried rather than links after Sakura had railed about rot and illness in bad meat and chucked the sausages into the distance ("Never eat meat that's been left out in the heat, I don't care how well you wrap it!").

She was watching Pippin and Merry practice their burgeoning sword work with Boromir who was working in tandem with Aragorn who offered tips from her right. _They're not bad_, she thought as she watched, _with practice they could be very good in short order_.

"Move your feet." Aragorn said, teeth holding his pipe in place.

"That's very good Pippin." Merry complimented his friend.

"Thanks." Pippin grinned, distracted. Boromir made quick work taking advantage and Pippin went down. He made a startled, hurt sound and Boromir -not sure of how gentle he needed to be with hobbits- gave a panicked "Sorry!" and moved to help Pippin up. Sakura saw the moment where Pippin's eyes met Merry's, and she laughed along with Aragorn when the hobbits grabbed Boromir's legs and pulled them out from under him.

"Alright, gentlemen, that's enough." Aragorn called as he stood to pull them off Boromir but they did that look again and Aragorn hit the ground too.

"A hand," Boromir grunted up to her as he struggled under Merry, who had -to Boromir's horror- discovered that the man was ticklish. "If you wo, would?"

Her laughter was her response as she deliberately stood and walked away, leaving the men to the mercy of hobbits.

She'd been about to ask Gandalf when they would be moving on when something prickled at the edges of her awareness. She turned in a circle searching their surroundings for the source of her unease, but not spotting anything coming from the ground. _Something is watching._ Her pulse picked up as the feeling grew, the world narrowing down to instinct. The voices of her companions were easily dismissed as she sorted through all that her senses were trying to tell her. She turned again, facing the direction Legolas was looking, and her eyes zeroed in on the only anomaly in sight. A flock of black birds.

"..thing, just a whisp of clouds.." Gimli's voice pierced the adrenaline fueled fugue she had entered, just as she shot towards Frodo and dragged him with her between a large rock and dense shrubbery. The hobbit in her grasp made a noise of shock at the sheer speed Sakura moved him with, but whatever he might have said was lost as she raced to grab Sam.

"Doctor" Boromir called, "what is it? What did you see?"

"HIDE!" She barked at the same time Legolas was identifying the swarm, Sam being unceremoniously shoved into the shadows cast by overhanging stone. In little more than a blur, she gathered all of their things, dumping them with Sam while Boromir and Aragorn grabbed Merry and Pippin. "Hide now!"

Gandalf and Gimli jumped into action, fast and efficient but Sakura couldn't help but rue the minimal cover their spot provided. She did a last check of the camp, and realized even with their things hidden, their tracks were everywhere.

"Doctor!" Boromir was gesturing for her to join him in his hiding spot.

Sakura lifted her foot and stomped, a conjured wind blasting out from the impact point, erasing foot prints and shaking leaves off the bushes as a bonus. Then and only then did she join the man, crouching down in her cloak to watch the birds close in. Boromir was giving her a look but hunkered down next to her.

Green eyes focused up. Flipping through options in her mind, she discarded them all. Too many birds; if she killed the majority of them, she could still miss one and one was all it would take to warn the enemy of her presence within the group. If it was revealed that she was exceptionally lethal, a walking, talking weapon, their enemies could rachet up their assault; the whole fellowship was better off if she remained unknown and underestimated.

The wait lasted bare minutes. The birds passed overhead at impressive speed but rising to circle back the way they came. Sakura's hand clenched around the fabric on Boromir's shoulder when he tried to rise, but let go once she could no longer make out details on the flock's bodies.

"The passage south is being watched." Gandalf said as everyone gathered in close. He looked to a snow capped peak. "We must make the pass of Caradhras."

"Is he serious?" Merry asked Pippin in a whisper.

His best friend nodded.

"Right." Merry sighed, "_Wizards._"

The other hobbits murmured agreement.


End file.
